Tempest tost
by pretense
Summary: You'll never miss the water until its gone... well good, because I wasn't planning on missing him in the first place. Luke/Percy, making up for lost time. COMPLETE
1. The Waiter of Olympus

This is a fic response to the "Luke/Percy, making up for lost time" prompt on the pjo_fic_battle on livejournal. I may take a while to get to the porn but hopefully I'll give you guys a good lead up to it... :)

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><p>When the blinding light subsided, Luke was lying on the marble floor, arms and legs spread out. Kronos' scythe turned into molten gold and was trickling its way to the hearth in golden rivulets; eerily, Luke's own blood was seeping out of him in the same way – crisscrossing in little streams away from his battered body. That, combined with the black circle of ash around him, made Luke appear like a grotesque stained glass centerpiece.<p>

A lump formed in my throat and I found it hard to breathe, much less move. Grover helped Annabeth who determinedly limped to Luke's side, cradling the son of Hermes' blood splattered hand with two of her own. I remained standing, looking down on the fallen demigod and catching his blue eyes – pure blue, a relieved voice echoed in my head. Luke's light blue irises bore into me, flickering with the flames from the hearth, his lips were blood red and he was pressing them together as though it would keep whatever he had to say at bay. Something passed between us and all of a sudden, I was faced with flashes of my first summer at camp – that first day and night at the Hermes cabin, our team winning at Capture the Flag, one-on-one sword fighting lessons, Luke running to catch up before we left to give me a pair of his winged Converse shoes, the sparse minutes I was talking with him through an Iris message during my first quest, Luke's betrayal and the fulfillment of the Oracle's words…

_And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end._

Luke wasn't looking at me anymore, which was good because I just had the biggest epiphany in the history of epiphanies and I was still reeling from impact.

"Did you love me?"

My heart began pounding, trying to break out of my ribcage. Luke seriously can _not_ be asking _that_ question right now. It wasn't the words that struck me; it was the grim resignation in Luke's parched voice and the fact that he was addressing Annabeth. Annabeth, who glanced up at me as though checking how I was taking the question, as if she didn't want to disappoint _me_ of all people with her answer. Her stormy gray eyes were sympathetic as she refocused them on Luke.

"I – I thought I did… but I loved you more like a brother…"

Luke actually smiled at that, a weak tug lifted the corner of his mouth. And that, more than anything else, had my blood boiling and my eyes stinging with tears. I knew my voice would crack even before I opened my mouth but I had to say it – Luke might've given up but I've only just begun –

"Well, _I_ do."

I thought I heard the snap of Grover and Annabeth's neck when they turned their attention to me but I was too busy glaring at Luke who was shaking his head sadly, apologizing with his eyes. I was nearly shouting, shaking with pent up anger (and yes, regret) while Luke was serenely counting down to his last breath.

"You don't have the _right_ to die! You've just saved Olympus, saved _everyone_, Luke! You can't – !"

"There's no healing…"

"SHUT. UP."

I stepped back, jaw set tight in defiance, turning to find Grover and Annabeth's stunned expressions directed at me. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, "You guys, please, keep watch over him. I'm going to find some nectar and ambrosia."

No sooner had those words left my mouth when a side door opened.

We watched in stunned silence as a man dressed like a waiter entered the Olympians' throne room, pushing a stainless steel trolley laden with a silver domed platter, bulbous glasses, a wine bottle, and a vase of lustrous flowers. His shoulder-length wavy blond hair was tied in a low ponytail and his hazel eyes glowed as he stopped beside us.

It was just so bizarre that it took me a moment before I found my voice, by which time the guy had uncovered a platter of ambrosia squares and was pouring nectar out of the wine bottle into three glasses. "Who are you?"

Mr. Waiter flashed a smile, "I am Ganymede, dear boy, cup bearer to the gods. I came here to, ah," his eyes softened as they darted towards Luke's vulnerable form for a second "_assuage _the situation." He handed me a bulbous wine glass filled with nectar and I didn't hesitate to take it. In my peripheral view, Luke was shaking his head; well tough luck, I had no intention of letting him die.

Annabeth, ever sharp, shifted to lay Luke's head on her lap, making it easier for me to tip the glass against Luke's mouth; it took a while but eventually his paling skin regained some color as nectar flowed into his system. Ganymede set the platter of ambrosia between me and Annabeth before handing Annabeth her own glass of nectar. The cup bearer of Olympus then offered the sweet-smelling flower arrangement to Grover who sniffed at the bouquet before biting off the head of a beautiful yellow daisy.

Once Luke had downed half the nectar, I retracted the glass and began feeding him ambrosia. His eyes never left my face but I only met them once, with a glare that was a mixture of anger and worry, a silent demand for his cooperation.

By the time that the Olympians arrived, we had cleared Ganymede's provisions and he had retreated with his trolley back to where he came from. It was just me, a satyr, a daughter of Athena, and the hero of the great prophecy.

The first thing Hermes did was envelop Luke in a bone-breaking hug.


	2. Of Campfires & Corrupting the Innocents

Understandably, Clarisse had beaten Luke to a bloody pulp the moment we set foot on camp. I tried to intervene but Luke raised a hand to stop me, he faced Clarisse's anger head on, not even lifting a finger to defend himself. The campers were divided on their opinions on Luke – by divided, I mean most of the old campers hated his guts and the new ones (the children of lesser gods who were finally claimed and were having their own cabins built thanks to Luke's request from the gods) treated him as a hero.

With the surprise installation of the new Oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, camp certainly felt a little more alive. Mr. D designated the first few days back at camp as a recuperation period, Camp itself hadn't faced much destruction but its inhabitants were all worn out and many of us were still injured from the battles. Rest was very much needed by everyone, even Artemis' Hunters were staying for the meantime at Cabin 8. The children of the Hermes Cabin were sympathetic to their kin and while there were still a few misgivings, Luke was more or less welcomed back.

"Is this seat taken?"

The sudden question startled me, coming from so near, and I tore my eyes away from the lavender flames of the bonfire, my ears suddenly reacquainted with the tunes of the sing-along. Luke was standing beside me at the topmost row of the amphitheater. He was back in his old attire of Bermuda shorts, slippers, and a camp T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. I couldn't help but notice how the light of the campfire cast eerie shadows on his face, a fresh-looking graze on his right cheek caught my eye and as though he'd read my mind, Luke gave a one-armed shrug. "That was Thalia."

I just nodded at his revelation, idly gesturing on the free space on my right; he took the invitation with a smile and settled beside me – a good foot of space between us. An energetic strumming coupled with fast beat-boxing came from the campers near the front, they were starting a new song; it's been a while since they'd stopped glancing over at my lonesome spot.

Annabeth was at the bottom part of the amphitheater, sitting beside Thalia and the Hunters. I tried not to dwell on the awkward conversation that we'd had a few days ago. She was understandably stumped and while I did my best to reassure her that I still consider her as a very good friend, she merely nodded and requested for some time alone. She hasn't said a word to me since although she would offer a forced smile whenever we passed each other.

Grover, on the other hand, was pretty much the same. He even dropped by here earlier, for maybe half a song, before Juniper waved at him from the woods and he had to excuse himself.

A cheerful but low humming came from Luke and I raised a quizzical face to him, Luke caught my expression and grinned, his humming grew louder. I had no idea what to make of this so I cradled my face in my palm and resumed staring at the dancing green flames of the bonfire.

This would be the first time that Luke and I were in such close proximities with each other after the averted war. We had as much privacy as the topmost seats could afford in an amphitheater full of campers but the distance still made this situation a bit intimate – the nearest campers being at least four rows down. I had never quite seen the amphitheater as filled as it was at the moment now that I think of it – thanks once again to Luke's proposition to the gods about claiming their children, there had been an influx of new half-bloods in the past few days. The new kids were as young as ten years old, accompanied by satyrs and chased by varying types of monsters but they all got into camp in once piece.

Anyway, it wasn't that we were avoiding each other… well, okay, so maybe I was a little guilty of that but mostly it was because Luke was preoccupied with every single camper who had a bone to pick with him. He'd let Clarisse beat the crap out of him sure (and he'd spent two days in the infirmary for that), but that was a special case; for all other battles he'd taken up a weapon and settled things properly in the arena. It didn't matter if it was one on one or a dozen against one. In the end, he'd generally been forgiven, or at the very least earned the other campers' respect.

I, on the other hand, spent a lot of time with Blackjack and the other Pegasi. If not, then I would be at the beck-and-call of the newly instated Oracle. Rachel was eager to help around Camp; I was something of a sidekick-slash-tour guide-slash-babysitter. I also spent a good portion of my days asleep; it was either Rachel or Nico who'd alert me when it was dinnertime and usually, I'd fall right back to bed after dinner. I don't think I have a legitimate reason for attending the sing-along tonight, really.

"So what made you join the party?"

Luke, once again, was a welcome interruption to my thoughts. I hadn't realized that the song had changed but then again I was never really listening from the start. I met Luke's clear blue gaze and offered a smile. "No idea."

He raised a brow at me, lips quirking in a bemused grin but he didn't press for further answers.

Given all the drama I'd caused back at throne room at Mt. Olympus, I thought he'd be more… questioning but I suppose he's still processing things. I'm not in a hurry myself.

"You'd be going back for the upcoming school year, aren't you? High school sophomore, right?"

Luke was staring straight at the bonfire, its bright blue light doing wonders to his profile.

"Yeah, for once I'd be going to the same school for two years in a row… Goode High School." I could've kept my response to 'Yeah' but some part of me was craving for a proper conversation with Luke.

"I'm glad to hear that." Luke smiled, his eyes soft as he turned to face me but there was something wrong in the picture. It wasn't that he was faking his sentiment… it's just that... his smile seemed more on the sad side than the happy one.

"I ran away in the middle of third grade," Luke continued in a more subdued tone, a self-deprecating expression clouding his features. "Six years on the streets and five years at Camp Half-Blood before going on a world-domination tour for four."

… Okay… _What_ is with all the sudden info? Given that I already sort of knew those things, I honestly had no idea how I was supposed to respond to that. With Luke laying out a profile like that, he was clearly sending a neon-lighted message but I wasn't sure –

Luke tore his eyes away from mine. "This… _camp life_ is the most normal kind of life I've had and I can't live at Camp forever… I don't know my place in the outside world – or if I even _have_ a place out there."

The far-off expression hadn't left Luke and that's when his words finally sunk in.

_Oh._

Neither of us spoke for a long moment.

It was scary how much I suddenly didn't want the sing-along to end. Only a week ago I was ready to strike Luke down and now I was practically soaking up his mere presence. I shifted in my seat, my whole body turned towards him and I wet my dry lips.

"Luke–"

"I don't deserve anything from you, Percy Jackson," Luke turned to me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "I tried to _end_ you and everything you loved."

I was going to protest but Luke lifted a finger against my lips, silencing me immediately.

"But if you'd have me–"

"Yes. I want you." I could feel my cheeks burning and it's not fair how Luke easily took my words in stride.

"Then you'd have to let me get up on my own feet, carry out my own choices." He looked at me hard for a few seconds but his gaze softened in the end. "I was ready to die back there. After everything I've done, hell probably wouldn't be enough of a punishment… but you changed all that." His right hand cupped my cheek and I couldn't help but lean into his warmth. "I had made the worst possible decisions before and this extended life you'd allowed me – I guess this is where I'm supposed to make up for all of those wrong choices."

My first thought was that Luke must've been practicing this speech. The second thing that came to my mind was that I wasn't just going to let Luke get off the hook so easily. I put my left hand over his right, pulling his hand away from my cheek as I scooted closer. We locked gazes as I placed his right hand on my waist.

"Okay," I said, "Make a choice."

A sly demeanor took over Luke, a mischievous glint was suddenly present his eyes. "Well now that's not fair at all."

I shivered at his words, inadvertently moving closer; I could practically feel the sparks of tension ignite in and around my body.

"Are you cold?" Luke asked, hand gripping my waist tighter as he closed the gap between us. He raised his other hand to cradle my jaw, leaning down to press our foreheads together.

I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, the pace of my heartbeats was quickly ascending, my trembling hands settled on his shoulders as the reality of what was going to happen made me light-headed… "Not really," I breathed, eyes slipping shut.

Our lips met and it was like submerging underwater – everything else apart from Luke and me faded into unintelligible noises. I was lost in a feeling of utter bliss, anchored only by the solid presence of Luke on my lips, around my waist, surrounding me completely. Luke's thumb was stroking my cheek and I couldn't help the moan that broke out of me; I could feel the smirk on his lips as we parted.

Eyes at half-masts, Luke wore a tiny quirk of a smile as he nipped at my lips with butterfly kisses. I couldn't believe how this was actually happening right now. I had to bring him back down for a second kiss just to convince myself that I wasn't dreaming.

Vaguely, my brain supplied that _this_ was my first proper kiss. No offense to the girls but they did catch me off-guard and I didn't actually respond to them but this… this was just… _something_.

A pointed cough had us slowly pulling apart - looking to a seat three rows down where Nico was staring back with one arm draped over the back of his seat, wearing a testy grin. "You two might want to find a more private place for that…" He gave a nod indicating the rest of the amphitheater full of demigods.

Luke moved back and lifted both his hands as though in surrender before acting out a mock salute to Nico. "Yes, sir, private quarters it is." Then he turned to me and grasped my hand, winking as he whispered. "I do believe we just shattered the innocence of a twelve-year-old son of Hades."

That had me chuckling; I laced our fingers together as I stood up. "Come on…"

Hand in hand, Luke and I went down the side pathway of the amphitheater, turning more than a few heads as we passed and even getting a two-fingered salute from Nico. It was possible that every eye was on us as we left but neither Luke nor I bothered to check.


	3. Luke Has Twins

Yes, Luke stayed the night at cabin three, and whatever speculation you've heard about it is 100% NOT true. Contrary to what the rumormongers are saying, Luke and I did not go 'all the way'. Jeez. We just kissed (a lot) and held hands all night. And while we did share a bed, both of us were completely clothed. Then again, a son of Hermes in rumpled clothing stepping out of the Poseidon cabin at seven in the morning was bound to brew issues one way or another.

I was heading towards the climbing wall, having just finished breakfast, when Chiron approached me. He did his best to appear inconspicuous regarding the matter, pulling me aside and all before admonishing me about having a non-Poseidon kid sleep over at the Cabin. Still, demigod ears can be pretty sharp when they want to and soon the rumors turned into news. Add to that the fact that Luke ran late for the Hermes cabin's archery class because he walked me over to the stables and you've got yourself a cover story worthy of Demigod Weekly.

My lips were still tingling from Luke's see-you-later kiss when I walked into the stables. Variations of hellos and good mornings greeted me while Blackjack's distinct whinny asked, "_What's up with the goofy face, boss?"_

"Morning, everyone!" I said, sounding like a giddy child even to my own ears.

"Do you _have_ to be so obvious about scoring last night?" A figure emerged from the shadows at the back, revealing Nico who was carrying an empty bucket that held traces of cereal.

"Oh come on, not you too!" I pouted, grabbing another bucket from the floor and filling it with oats as Nico stopped next to me.

"I call 'em as I see 'em," he grinned, refilling the bucket in his hands.

"I don't understand why everyone's assuming that," I muttered, heading towards the back end of the stables to put the oats onto the feeding trays. Our conversation carried through as we moved from cereals to pouring water into the drinking trays.

"Well maybe it's because after going after the guy for – what, three-four years? You bring him back alive suddenly all defensive of him. Plus, you two made such a scene during last night's sing-along."

"We did not make a scene!"

"Holding hands in an amphitheater full of half-bloods doesn't strike me as subtle…"

I didn't have an answer to that so I changed subject. "You ready for the chariot race tomorrow?"

"Oh I am," Nico smirked confidently. "The question is, are _you_?"

We were teaming up because neither of us had cabinmates; Nico will be the driver and I'll be the fighter. Now before you talk my ear off about letting a 12-year-old drive, let me just point out that undead horses were going to be pulling the chariot. I was perfectly fine with using normal horses but Nico insisted – this being his first race, I suppose he wanted to make a good impression. As if he wasn't everyone's best friend already with his whole army of the dead back-up arriving just in the nick of time during the defense of the Empire State Building.

Once we finished our morning stable-clean-up and horse-feeding duty, Nico and I went to check on the chariot we'd be using tomorrow.

The black metal basket gleamed a sinister purple under the mid-morning sun. It was parked beside the half-constructed Hades Cabin that Nico was occupying which was in line with other cabins of the lesser gods all in various states of construction. Wicked wave patterns were inlaid with silver on the chariot's surface and on its front were a bident and a trident crossed together. We did a bit of maintenance and one short conversation later, I was on my way back to my own cabin for a nap.

Unsurprisingly, I slept through lunch and most of the afternoon. I got out of bed with a rumbling stomach, idly wondering if the camp store had something edible at this time of the day. I opened the door and sitting on the front steps was none other than Luke who appeared to be sharpening two knives against each other. He looked up as I closed the door behind me, his bright smile greeted me and I felt a little dizzy as I joined him on the porch.

"Hungry?" Luke asked, putting away the knives and picking up a rucksack that was on a lower step. "You didn't show up for lunch. Last person who saw you was Nico and he said you just went off for a nap. Figured you'd probably be starved after sleeping your ass off."

I didn't want to show it but I had this silly flattered feeling bubbling up and I dearly hoped that I wasn't blushing like a tomato.

"Exactly how long have you been sitting there?" I decided to ask, taking the can of soda and the sandwich Luke had pulled out from the bag. I took a bite of the sandwich – hmm, roast beef – and chewed, setting the cool can of Coke beside me.

"Not long," Like answered with a grin, clasping his hands together and resting his elbows on his knees.

"What time is it anyway?" I asked after swallowing a mouthful.

Luke's blue eyes turned to the sky for a moment, considering, before returning his attention to me. "About four."

"Huh." I put down the half-eaten sandwich in favor or drinking some soda.

A group of girls passed, one of them holding a dirt-smudged volleyball, all of them shooting unsubtle glances Luke and me, giggling and whispering slyly amongst themselves. Aphrodite girls, judging by the rhinestone-embedded denim shorts and Chanel headbands they all wore.

Casually, Luke retrieved his knives and began sharpening them again; the girls instantly scampered off to their Cabin.

Now that I could see them clearly, both blades were made of celestial bronze and even though they were barely longer than a foot, their edges were frightfully sharp.

"New toys?" I found myself asking as I finished my food.

"Yup." Luke gripped the leather-wrapped handles tight, prideful eyes reflected in the bronze blade. "From the Hephaestus kids – just got them this morning."

Oh yeah, with Backbiter gone, Luke didn't have a weapon of his own anymore. Still, I never figured him to be a double-handed swordsman much less a knife-wielder but I guess being called the best swordfighter in 300 years wasn't just a title for display.

I crumpled the sandwich bag and drained my soda, a satiated feeling settling in my stomach. I excused myself to throw my trash in the bin I have inside and when I came back, Luke had the rucksack slung over one shoulder, holding his new hunting knives in one hand.

"Do you have plans?" Luke asked with a bright and excited look about him.

I thought about the Firework-making lessons with the Athena and Hephaestus kids.

"I could skip them, why?"

Luke's scar crinkled as his smile grew wide.

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><p>We had forgone our armors but that doesn't mean that we were taking things lightly. I heard the whip of a blade slicing the air and raised Riptide just in time to block a hunting knife from severing my jugular.<p>

"Damn it, Luke, stop teleporting!" The annoyance was clear as day in my voice.

Luke wore a cheeky grin when his face came into my line of sight. He pressed his blade lower and I shoved back with an upward arc, forcing him to jump back and assume a defensive pose.

"I'm just upping my game, Perce," Luke smirked. "You still have Achilles' curse, surely I'm allowed my own tricks."

It's been roughly half an hour since we started our sparring session and my invulnerability kept me just the least bit advantageous against Luke who wielded his new weapons with ease. His moves were swift and precise, so much that while I started off in the offensive, I was quickly reduced to defense tactics as the mock-fight wore on. Evidently, experience _was_ the best teacher but I was never one for giving up.

I charged, putting up my shield and pointing Riptide's blade at Luke who adjusted his stance and mouthed 'come on'.

It was a strange kind of exhilarating being locked in battle with Luke like this. We weren't enemies, for one. Luke was his own person, with his own fighting style that echoed memories of early sword fighting lessons at Camp. Bright blue irises shone with a passion that I couldn't help but want to match; I could feel the grin tugging at my lips and gods I must've looked like an idiot.

We were toe-to-toe in combat when Luke suddenly stepped back and ducked – before I knew it he had gotten under my shield. I was thrown back at Luke's charge, his right-hand blade pressing against the inside of my left forearm, rendering my shield useless and my whole front unprotected. His blade didn't break my skin even as we impacted the ground. I fell flat on my back whereas Luke was on his haunches and knees, one leg on either side of my hips, body arched over me and his left-hand blade pressing against my throat.

"I win, Percy Jackson," Luke said triumphantly but the expression fell away quickly when I lightly set Ripide's edge at his nape.

"Personally, I think it's a draw," I said, licking my lips as I nudged Luke's face lower with the flat of my blade.

Luke's face went alight with amusement as he retracted his knives from their positions, barely leaving a scratch. He set the twin blades a good distance away from either side of my head before leaning down fully and capturing my lips in a kiss.

I lowered Riptide to the ground, freeing my hand so that I could pull Luke closer, fingers combing through his short sandy hair for purchase.

The smell of sweat and dirt permeated my senses which normally I would've found disgusting but then again it was _Luke_ and he was on top of me and kissing me and I don't think I'd ever get tired of this.

I felt him shifting, one hand ghosting a path down my left arm until it managed to press the button on my watch to collapse my shield. I hummed my appreciation and fitted my newly-freed hand on his sweat-drenched back, feeling the movement of lean muscles under his T-shirt as he adjusted his position until he was almost completely lying on top of me.

"Holy hell," I managed a breathy whisper. "What are we doing?"

Luke responded to that by placing kisses along my jaw. "I don't know about you, but I'm ravishing a particularly handsome demigod." As if to prove his point, Luke began laying soft bites in between sucking at the pulse point on my neck.

His words and ministrations combined made me arch up, wanting – _needing_ more contact. I was pretty sure I moaned out his name but then his tongue was in my mouth and my brain basically stopped functioning properly from there. Luke completely devoured every single embarrassing whimper and groan that left me just as I was gulping down every hot breath he exhaled into me. The adrenaline rush from our little sparring session easily found a new purpose: heat was quickly pooling in the lower parts of my body and I couldn't care less of details like we were out in the middle of an arena when I've never felt so good like this my entire life. Stopping was not in whatever was left of my vocabulary.

Slowly, Luke began pulling back and I (maybe a little desperately) clung to him tighter – Luke indulged me with a long, languid kiss before grazing his teeth on my bottom lip and laying one last kiss full on the lips. I blinked my eyes open, finding a most fond expression on Luke who's hovering an inch or two above me, casting his shadow over my form. I forgot how to breathe all over again. His ice-blue eyes shone and his wide smile easily infected me.

"I can't believe we just–"

"Yeah."

I didn't think my cheeks could actually hurt from smiling so much and when I blurted it out, both of us broke out into fits of laughter.

"Alright," Luke finally said, rolling off of me and getting back on his haunches. He retrieved his hunting knives with one hand and offered me the other, "Come on, get up."

I had half a mind to tell him that I was still blissfully comfortable on the ground but that thought led nowhere so I simply took his proffered hand. I felt the familiar weight of Riptide's pen-form in my pocket as Luke sheathed his knives and threw them inside the rucksack he'd left by a nearby tree trunk.

"You've got leaves on your hair," Luke pointed out, combing through my hair with his own hands to shake off the offending objects.

"Well, gee, who drove me to the ground in the first place?" I asked with no venom as I patted down my clothes, removing the dirt.

Luke pretended to think, draping his arm across my shoulders and pulling me to his side as we walked out of the arena. "Mostly yours for being so damn irresistible."

Reflexively, I gave a half-hearted elbow to his side, averting my eyes as I mumbled, "Shut up."

We settled into an easy silence until we crossed paths with Annabeth. She was holding two rolls of parchment in her arms and she looked mildly flustered as she regarded Luke and me. Suddenly, the presence of Luke's arm on my shoulders felt heavy and hot like they were burning through my shirt.

"Percy, Luke, hi." Annabeth tucked a stray piece of blond hair behind her ear, her stormy gray eyes not exactly meeting mine. "Percy, I was… wondering why you didn't show up for the firework-making session…"

Oh. Right, I skipped class… man it feels weird saying that especially when I'm used to having perfect attendance.

"Sorry about that," I spoke with full sincerity, which was a lot considering how bad I feel realizing that she'd come looking for me because of my absence. "Um, you see, Luke just got his new blades–"

"Twin knives," Luke added helpfully.

"Yeah, and he wanted to test them out, so…" I trailed off awkwardly but Annabeth easily picked up the talk.

"Oh, no need to apologize," she put up a smile. "I completely understand. I'll just…" she hugged the rolls of parchment tighter and turned to leave.

"Wait." I walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. The sad look in her eyes made me feel worse about myself and I would dearly love to remove that expression from her but the cost wasn't one that I was willing to wager.

"You're a very pretty girl," I said earnestly, only after the words left my mouth did I realize that these weren't the best things to say to a girl in front of a guy you'd been swapping spit with a few minutes ago but, well, moving on… "Annabeth, you're a good friend of mine…"

"Percy, please," Annabeth said softly, "I've already heard those exact same words from you."

"I know, but they're the best ones I've got… and I can only hope that you'd forgive me for having led you on because you know that I don't want to lose your friendship over this." I smiled, finally letting my hand fall back. "Okay?"

Annabeth looked past me for a long moment; it doesn't take a genius to know she was staring at Luke. I didn't know what Luke shared with her but I supposed it was something private so I didn't bother looking. Finally, Annabeth returned her attention to me.

She took a deep breath and a genuine smile rose on her lips – the first one I've seen directed at me in a while. "Stupid, friendly heartbreakers," she muttered with a lack of malice. "I don't want to stop being friends either but it's not easy to just ignore a decade's worth of things-that-could-have-been you know…"

A fond smile crept upon me and I opened my arms wide to hug her, Annabeth returned the effort and we both turned to Luke who came over and enveloped the both of us in a massive hug.

It felt unbelievably good to be in friendly terms with Annabeth again, especially when she'd basically forgiven Luke and me for whatever hurt we'd caused. The air was noticeably lighter around us when we parted.

Annabeth sighed, "I probably don't need the grudge on my architecture anyway."

Luke smiled at that. "How're the building designs coming along, by the way?"

We spent the remaining time until dinner letting Annabeth discuss her grand plans for the rebuilding of Olympus.


	4. Now There's This Thing Called Jealousy

The next day dawned bright and clear, revealing nine magnificent chariots lined up at the oval track. Only the Hecate cabin amongst the lesser gods has a chariot lined up – the dark wood of the basket had rune etchings and just being near it gave me the chills.

Nico and I were making final inspections and touch-ups on our chariot when Luke approached in full armor. I stared.

"You are joking."

Luke quirked his lips in response, "Um, no."

I did a quick re-cap of the charioteers: Ares has Clarisse and Sherman, Artemis has Thalia and Phoebe; those two alone already made me nervous.

"This is going to be a bloodbath." I shook my head in disbelief. There was one week left at camp and I had no intention of spending it in the infirmary for whatever reason. Summer camp would end with barely a day to spare before the new school year starts; I don't want to spend the first week back walking the halls in a cast.

"Don't worry, Chris is handling the reins," Luke said as if that alone would solve all potential threat.

"That won't stop Clarisse," Nico pointed out, crossing his arms as he leaned against the basket of our chariot.

"I'm not expecting it to," Luke replied before messing up my hair; I hate it when he does that.

I swatted his hand away, "Don't expect me to spare you."

"Not expecting that either," Luke said. "No hard feelings, okay, Perce?"

"Get out of here," I smiled, pushing Luke by the shoulders towards the Hermes chariot. He gave a wink before walking off and I returned to where Nico was adjusting the bridle on the pair of skeleton horses – their eyes were blood red and flickering shadows took the place of meat and skin.

Campers filled the sidelines and once everyone was ready Chiron gave the go signal for the race.

As it turned out, the chariot race wasn't any more gruesome than it normally was; stink bombs, smoke bombs, retracting claws, and wooden carriages suddenly taking root and bursting with leaves – nothing out of the ordinary. Only a few bruises, mild concussions, and no broken bones – that had to be a record. The Ares cabin's three-peat series of wins was broken with the victory of the Athena kids. Nico and I placed fourth. Nico was dead tired by the end of the race, he practically collapsed once were got through the finish line and got me panicking. Will from the Apollo cabin tended to him and concluded that Nico was just exhausted – controlling shadow horses took great effort. Will advised him to take it easy for a while, let his powers return gradually.

Meanwhile, Chiron awarded wreaths of laurel to Malcolm and Annabeth plus the no-chores privilege to their cabin for the remaining days of camp.

The crowds dissipated and the chariots and horses were led off the track, well, most of it at least. I merely pulled the chariot Nico and I used to the sides, I would get back to it later – I had to get Nico to rest first. An hour was left before lunch and I had all the intention of using it to take a long bath.

Rachel appeared at my side as I half-carried Nico towards the cabins.

"The Demeter kids' chariot was the most aesthetic, though," Rachel commented, going into a detailed audience's point of view of the match. We paused in our tracks as the Athena kids, bearing the race's champions on their shoulders, paraded past us. Annabeth waved hello, the crown of laurel askew atop her curly hair. Rachel and I returned the gesture (with an additional "Congratulations" on Rachel's part), Nico only managed a nod barely able to stay on his feet as he was. Rachel, Nico, and I carried on and found ourselves walking beside a troop of silver-uniformed girls. I couldn't help but notice that Thalia wasn't leading them – I'd encountered her in the race as she was their chariot fighter, but I supposed that she was taking care of returning the horses to the stables.

"And those metal-horses!" Rachel gushed, praising the Hephaestus kids' craftsmanship as we took a left turn to deposit Nico at the Hades Cabin.

Rachel chattered continuously as we headed to my cabin, all I had to do was nod and answer her questions.

"So what're you planning?" Rachel asked as we reached the front steps.

"I'm thinking an hour-long swim at the beach," I told her.

"Oh." Rachel looked disappointed. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"You can go with me," I offered somewhat lamely.

"Thanks but," Rachel shoved her hands into the pockets of her paint-splattered jeans. Vaguely, I wondered if she owned a clean pair of jeans somewhere. "I have this half-finished painting at the Arts and Crafts pavilion…"

"Okay," I shrugged. "See you later."

Rachel nodded and headed off. I should probably feel bad for shrugging her off like that but I was bone-tired from the race and I do not find the smell of oil and acrylic relaxing in the least.

I hung my armor back on the wall and shoved clean clothes and a towel into a duffel bag, making my way to the beach in record time but someone else had already beaten me there.

Standing knee-deep in the surf was a tall, broad man in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts; his big hands were gripping a fishing rod whose line went far into the estuary.

"Hello, Percy." Poseidon turned to me, eyes crinkled in a huge smile. "I see Camp's doing well with those new cabins…"

"Hi, Dad." I dropped my duffel on the sand far from the shore and took off my sandals, going barefoot to join the God of the Sea at his post. "What are you doing around here?"

"Taking a break," he reeled in his line with ease, pulling out a green sea serpent writhing and trashing on Long Island Sound. "Ah, still a small one," Poseidon remarked, cutting the nylon line with a knife, allowing the sea serpent to plunge underwater. He reeled in his empty line and stuck his fishing rod into the waters beside him; it morphed into his trident.

"How's your palace?" I found myself asking as the waves calmed down.

Poseidon gazed at the waters for a moment, looking solemn until a small smile lit up his face. "It's a wreck but we've already started rebuilding. You wouldn't believe how much of a morale-booster receiving thank you letters from the gods is… I even got one from Ares."

I wore an amused look, shoving my hands in the pockets of my soaked-up jeans. "Really?"

"I'll bet Hera forced him to do it, but still." He leveled his deep green eyes at me and I instantly straightened up. "You did great – no, you were more than great, Percy, and I've never told you how proud I am of you for everything you've done."

"T-Thanks, Dad." I felt fulfilled for some reason. "But, you know, I was just doing what anyone else would've done to save Olympus."

Poseidon laid his large hand on my head and ruffled my hair. "Not everyone would've saved the son of Hermes."

My whole face flared up and in the bright late morning light there was no way for my dad to mistake that as anything but a blush. "D-Dad, I…"

"I'm in no position to tell you if it was right or wrong." Poseidon clapped my shoulder. "I'm not here to judge you for anything, son. I'm just saying that some still see Luke Castellan as a threat. While his defense of his cause and the request he had from us was admirable – and I can see that he knows deeply the error of his ways, some things you don't just forgive and forget so easily…"

"Luke is _trying_," I mumbled to the water lapping at my knees. "And I'm not giving up on him."

The heavy weight of my father's hand left my shoulder. "That's good then… but I suppose Aphrodite wouldn't be too pleased to know she's got her work cut out for her."

I looked up with a thousand questions at the tip of my tongue but my father was gone; I was all alone, knee-deep in dazzling blue water.

Somehow my gaze landed on the spot at the far end of the beach where Zephyrus Creek met the Sound. The moment my father claimed me during my first year at camp flashed in my mind. It happened at that creek (well, along it at least) right after Luke won Capture the Flag for the Hermes Cabin. Belatedly, I noticed two figures making their way out of the forest to the end of the creek. I was about to turn away when the silver of the shorter one's clothes reflected the sun into my eyes. I stared harder at the pair and realized with a shock that they were Luke and Thalia.

I can't describe exactly what it was that I felt, my insides were like a blender overstuffed with everything from the fridge; I had this urge to throw up. Luke and Thalia had stopped near some boulders and they were talking – about who, about what, I didn't want to know.

I took off my T-shirt and threw it towards the bag I left on the sand. I dived into the water – going deep down, allowing myself to get soaked. My bare feet reached the sandy bottom and I walked over towards a patch of seaweed, plopping down and using them as a makeshift cot. Everything had tint of deep blue and there was just enough sunlight filtering though the surface to allow me to see clearly.

A school of silver fishes swam by, bowing in my direction and that made me smile a bit. My smile was short lived though as the image of Luke and Thalia presented itself once again.

_'Is something the matter, Lord?'_

I was surprised to find that the school of fish had surrounded me.

"Nothing," I partly lied. "I'm just tired; you don't mind me taking a nap around here for a while, do you?"

_'Not at all, not at all,'_ the fishes gleefully chorused.

"Thanks," I said, trying to find a comfortable position, I laid my forearm over my eyes to block out the light. Being in the dark, I thought it'd help in clearing my mind but whenever I feel like I'm close to reaching a blank state of mind the damn creek shows up – vivid and teasing.

Fine, I'll admit it – I'm curious… maybe suspicious… maybe jealous… but mostly, I feel stupid. Luke can talk to anyone he wants, he had no obligation to spend every waking minute with me. I'm just overreacting and it's foolish because I should know better… except that I didn't. Sixteen years of life and this is my first relationship. I've only ever seen other people with their partners and I used to think how crazy it was that you'd never see one without the other but now (and how I hate to admit it) I sort of understand why.

The old Greek dude, Plato, had this story that humans originally had four arms, four legs, and a single head made of two faces. These humans attempted to take over the gods and Zeus feared their power so he split them all in half, condemning them to spend their lives searching for their other halves. That was where the idea of a soul mate came from – the ancient desire for a significant other, two halves making a whole. See, I do learn something from those Ancient Greek lectures…

I rolled over to my side, eyes half-open but not really seeing. Luke and Thalia had a past together, I didn't know how they met or any other detail but it was clear to me that they meant a whole lot to each other… even now. Thalia was probably his first real friend… they could've been something more… After all, wasn't Luke the reason why Thalia didn't join the Hunters in the first place?

I squeezed my eyes shut, fists clumping over the slimy seaweed. I didn't want to think it but it was _right there_ in glaring neon blue lights: Luke couldn't get back with Thalia because she's already sworn off men being a Hunter of Artemis. I was just a rebound, a second choice because the best one is off-limits. And the worst is that everything is probably right.

Great, now I'm miserable. It hasn't even been three days since Luke and I got together and I'm already having a crisis. Being a demigod doesn't take away the fact that I'm still just a teenager with hormones and a rollercoaster of emotions.

My head hurt and I had to take a lot of deep breaths to calm myself. I decided not to think anymore because, well, it just hurt to think. Besides, I didn't want to lose Luke.

The rest of the hour went with a lot of underwater creatures passing by and some Hippocampi even stayed with me until I decided that I had to go back to the surface world. One of the Hippocampi was adamant to assist me in going back up and I agreed just to shut him up. I gave him my thanks as I got onto the shallow shore and with a delighted whinny he plunged back underwater. I turned, pushing back my wet hair out of my eyes and froze.

Luke was right there.

He was standing up from the spot beside my duffel bag that he'd occupied for who knows how long and his clear blue eyes were locked with mine.

"I thought I knew someone who'd just leave a bag on the beach and throw themselves into the Sound." Luke grinned, his joking tone louder to my ears than the crash of the waves around me.

A split second was all it took for me to launch myself at him – dripping wet and fighting back the onslaught of emotion. Luke didn't stay surprised longer than the time it took him to say 'Whoa'; he soon had his arms around me as I buried my face against his neck and hugged him tight around his stomach, he didn't seem to mind that I was getting him soaked in salty water. Luke's hand moved in soothing circles on my back and I slowly relaxed in his arms, he placed a kiss on the top of my head and I could feel warmth grow from that spot and fill me all the way down to my toes.

I breathed in deep, inhaling Luke's scent and allowing it to fill my senses, to ground me, before I finally looked up at him. His easy-going expression had been replaced with worry and I hated myself a little for being the one to cause that.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking deep into his eyes and meaning every single word that comes out of me. "I just needed some time to get my head straight."

"Are you okay now?" Luke asked with an apprehensive face. I could almost hear his unspoken '_What happened_?'

"Yeah," I held him tighter for emphasis. "A lot."

'_You can tell me when you're ready_.' Luke's eyes told me as he placed a kiss on my temple and we broke apart.

"Sorry I got your clothes wet," I apologized as we made our way back to where I'd left the duffel.

"Nah, I can change easy," Luke said with a confident smirk.

I got on my knees and was in the process of taking out my clean clothes when I realized that I'd have to strip to get changed. I blushed bright red at the realization and I couldn't meet Luke's eyes. "Um, I have to change…"

"Oh."

I sneaked a glance and saw that Luke was pointedly staring at something on his right, the color high on his cheeks. He was turning away when he suddenly stopped and quirked his head to one side, "Wait – Out here? In the open?"

"Um…" I hadn't thought of that. "I could change underwater…?"

"Oh screw this." Luke kneeled down on the other side of the duffel, zipping it and hauling it up with one hand. He handed me my dirty T-shirt (which I draped over one shoulder) and helped me stand up. Luke then pulled out one of his bronze knives from a sheath strap on his left leg that I hadn't noticed before; now that I looked at him properly, there was a matching drop leg sheath strap on his right.

"Come here, Percy." Luke drew me to his side, the hand holding my duffel wrapped securely around my waist. "Just hold on tight, okay? Teleportation can be tricky."

"Wait, what?" I asked, arms already circling his midsection tightly.

"You don't want to fall down from some ten feet off the ground, do you?"

"No…?"

"That's right." Luke wore a mischievous grin. "I haven't tried teleporting with someone else along before but, hey, first time for everything!"

Before I could say another word, Luke slashed his blade in the air creating an arc. There was a gust of strong wind, the feeling of being pressed in from all sides and then – pop! Normalcy.

I opened my eyes and found myself standing in front of Cabin 11. And the only reason I was still standing was because Luke was holding me upright and I was clutching him like a lifesaver. I was little dizzy and it took a second for my legs to stop feeling like jelly.

"You okay, Perce?" Luke asked, lowering his blade, badly concealed amusement on his face.

"Y-Yeah," I managed to reply when the front doors of the Hermes Cabin opened.

"We-he-hell!" Travis Stoll wore an impish grin as he led the children of Hermes out the door. "I didn't know the wet look was a fad again…"

"Ha-ha," I responded sarcastically, letting go of Luke and taking my bag from him.

"The lunch bell just rang," Connor said as the line of campers stopped in front of Luke and me. "Should we wait for you or–"

"No need, you guys can go on ahead." Luke sheathed his bronze knife. "Percy and I will just change. We'll see you at the Mess Hall."

"If you say so," Connor shrugged and he and his brother led the Hermes kids past us.

Now let me just tell you, it's one thing to know that these kids probably have their own versions of what Luke meant with 'changing' and it's another one to have knowing grins directed at you twelve times in a row. Travis' parting call of "Don't try anything on my bunk, okay – keep your shenanigans on Luke's!" had me burying my face in my palm.

"I'm not making promises!" Luke shouted back which had the Hermes kids sniggering. He turned to me with a look that said '_Sorry about that_'. "Come on…" He took me by the shoulder and for the first time in years I came back to my first home at camp.

The Hermes Cabin looked very much the same externally (peeling paints and a caduceus over the door), the big change was what awaited inside. Before, every inch of space on the floor was occupied with a sleeping bag and random personal belongings of unclaimed campers. Now, the space was free of all that (well, okay, there were still clutters here and there) and the Cabin was exclusively occupied by the children of the messenger of the gods. Luke led me to the far end of the row of bunk beds and directed me to a hallway leading off towards a bathroom.

"You can change in here." Luke opened the door, revealing a green-tiled bathroom with spotless white walls. "Let's see…" He peered closely at the relatively spacious room. "Don't open the cupboard under the sink, use only the left knob if you want to get clean water, that towel over there is super-glued to the rack, and don't step on the row of tiles in front of the shower. I think that's it."

I smiled at him as I stepped inside, "Thanks for the warnings. I'll get changed quickly."

Luke nodded and turned to go back to the main room when I found myself calling out to him, holding the bathroom door half-way closed.

"Hey, Luke!"

He looked back with an inquisitive smile. "Yeah?"

I bit my lip because god, I really should've thought this out before saying anything. My eyes wandered down to his pants where his twin blades rested against his thighs, held secure by black leather bands. "Nice sheath straps." Then I slammed the door shut and sank down with my back against it, all the while mentally going haywire. That might just be singularly most absurd sentence I've ever spoken my entire life.

Ten more seconds of trying to repair whatever shred of self-respect I had left and I began my clean-up. I peeled off my wet clothes and put them inside a plastic bag. I got into the shower for a quick bath and then dried off with a fluffy white towel. I pulled on my clean clothes and raked back my dripping hair to a passable look before stuffing the used towel and the plastic bag back inside my duffel. I took three deep breaths before I finally opened the door and got out.

Luke was lying on his bed, dressed in a dry Camp T-shirt and grey jeans, both knives strapped to his thighs. He sat up the moment he saw me, his easy expression morphing into one of concern as I settled on the opposite side of his bed.

"I don't want to ruin your appetite for lunch so I have to say this right now instead of letting it fester because I just know I'll just think of worse and worse scenarios."

Well, wasn't that just an exciting intro? I kept my gaze steady as Luke paid close attention to me. I fidgeted with the straps of my bag.

"I went to the beach earlier because I wanted to relax for a bit after the race but when I got there, I saw you talking to Thalia at the creek."

Luke merely nodded. My heart felt heavy and I let go of the duffel in favor of pressing my fingernails into the flesh of my palm, I broke eye contact and opted to stare at the bed sheets. I inhaled deeply and finally said what's been eating at me for the past hour.

"I got jealous."

With that admission, the rest just came pouring out.

"You guys have a past, I know that – heck, _everyone_ knows that. Thalia didn't join the Hunters when they first recruited her because of you. If she hadn't joined them this time, you guys–"

"Percy."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Luke had shifted closer; he took my hands and smoothed them out. He held onto them, running his thumb along the crescent indents my fingernails had left on my palm.

"I can't believe I'll be the one to give this speech," Luke mumbled in a tone of wry amusement. He held both my hands in one of his and reached out to touch my cheek. Reluctantly, I allowed him to lift my face, I met the kindest, clearest blue eyes and my hands grasped Luke's tightly.

"Percy, I told you that I would be making the right choices this time," Luke began, stroking my cheek. "And who did I choose?"

"Me," I mumbled softly. "But only because Thalia has sworn off–"

"No," Luke reproved. "I would've needled Thalia into leaving the Hunters if I wanted her."

I stayed quiet.

"The reason Thalia and I were at the creek was because I wanted to fix things with her – just like with Annabeth… I have a lot to apologize for, a lot of them were personal, and Thalia – I don't expect her to forgive me at all but I had to try."

I nodded. The silence dragged for a few seconds.

"That night at the amphitheater, I asked you if you'd have me in spite of everything that I've done," Luke pursed his lips. "Has your answer to that changed?"

I sat up straighter at the sudden turn of our conversation. Luke's stare was intense and I felt drawn to him; I moved closer.

"No," I managed, freeing my hands and pulling at Luke's hand. His eyes followed my hands and I opened my left palm where a white star-shaped scar was imprinted. I moved his hand to trace over the repaired skin, whispering, "This was from the pit scorpion you set on me the last day of camp. It never faded, it's always there, a clear reminder of your past betrayal, but…" I weaved my fingers through Luke's pressing our palms together, he held my hand firmly. Our eyes met.

"I still want you." I offered a small smile.

Luke smiled back. "Then I'm not letting you go."

I threw my free arm around him in a hug.

"Come on," Luke said as we parted. "We're already running late for lunch."


	5. Destiny's Rollercoaster

The morning before the final day of camp, I had just finished checking up on Tyson via Iris Message when a knock came from the door – cabin inspection time. I glanced around the room, kicking a rumpled pair of shorts under my bed, and I opened the door to Luke who was holding a pen and clipboard in his hands.

"Good morning," Luke greeted as I let him in, giving me a quick peck on the lips when the door closed behind him. I followed him around as he assessed the state of the Poseidon cabin. He hummed as his wrote down the score. "Good job, Percy, nine out of ten." He looked at me knowingly. "Word of advice, best keep your clothes out from under the bunks. Nasty stuff happens if you leave them there." He indicated the orange sleeve of a T-shirt peeking out from the unused bed beside mine; I didn't even know how it got there.

I pulled the T-shirt out and grimaced at the dust encrusted on the cloth. Exactly _how long_ had that been in there? I threw it into the laundry basket to deal with later.

"Tomorrow," Luke started and I found him leaning against a desk, clipboard and pen held loosely at his side. "Will you be busy?"

I stood beside him, uncomprehending. "What?"

"I mean," Luke fidgeted, staring at the fountain installed at the far side of the cabin. "I'm sure you're eager to see your mom again…"

"Yeah, and my stepdad," I added nonchalantly.

Luke appeared confused for a moment. "Oh, so the guy your mom was with during–"

"That's him, alright, Paul Blofis," I informed him. "Him and my mom, they got married last February."

Uncertainty clouded Luke's face and he got off the desk. He was retreating.

"Wait." I held him back by the arm. "Luke, what is it?"

He gave a deep sigh, finally meeting my eyes. "I don't want to be a year-rounder. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving camp with you… Percy, I… I want to go back to my mom."

Hearing him say those words warmed me to my core. Beaming widely, I threw my arms around him. "That's great!" But as I pulled back, I saw that Luke didn't have a smile on his face, on the contrary, he looked absolutely miserable.

"What's the matter?"

"You don't get it, Percy," Luke shook his head. "My mom… she… she's–"

"She's waiting for you to get back," I told him. I gathered my wits, preparing for what I was about to say. "I… I've met her, you know. May Castellan."

It was like someone had slapped him in the face. Luke's mouth had dropped open, a thousand questions shone in his wide eyes.

"When I was preparing to face Kronos, Nico helped me to find a way to match the invulnerability he had. To do that we had to retrace his steps, so we went to Connecticut." I licked my lips, not sure if I should continue, if there was even anything more that I needed to say.

A bitter smile rose on Luke's lips as he shook his head. "Guess that's one roadblock removed." He set his clipboard on the desk and ran both hands through his hair. A far-away look settled on his features. "Growing up in her house, it's just one bad memory after another. She has these fits almost every hour of the day and there was only so much that I could take… I vowed to never set foot in that house again but…" Luke's eyes found mine and I instinctively scooted closer, holding his hand to tell him that I was with him. "I'm fixing up my life, right? So I guess my mom should be on the priority list."

"Can I tell you something?" I whispered. "I sort of know why your mom became like that."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The last Oracle – the one who had forbidden the Big Three from siring children because of her 'Great Prophecy', she was cursed so that the spirit wouldn't be able to leave its mortal body," I narrated. "Your mother, she has clear sight, she could see through the Mist and when your father told her about the Oracle, she wanted to put her gift to use. Hermes tried to stop her but she was insistent; she tried to host the Oracle's spirit but the curse took effect…"

I didn't tell him any more than that. I didn't tell him that I had cornered Hades during the Olympian's post-war party. I didn't tell him that Hades only smirked at me when I asked him about May Castellan's state now that the prohibition on the Big Three was lifted. I didn't want to get his hopes up… just like mine were.

"She knew, then," Luke murmured. "All those times, she saw what was going to happen to me – what I would become…" Icy blue eyes stared into mine. "She saw her own son going to his death and she couldn't do anything about it."

"But her son _didn't_ go into his death, her son is _alive_." I smiled at Luke. "She needs to know that."

Luke didn't seem any bit cheered up by that. "I don't know the first thing to do when I see her. All my life I thought of her as a terrible mother – Percy, I ran away and left her to herself."

I tsk-ed at him, bracketing his face with both of my hands; I gave him a serious stare. "Do you want to see her? Yes or no, Luke."

Luke didn't hesitate, "Yes."

"Then there's nothing left to discuss," I concluded. Stepping closer, I tilted my head up and pulled Luke down to a kiss. We parted and I couldn't resist whispering against his soft lips, "We'll just have to make a pit stop at my house before we go there, alright?"

"What – Percy, I can't ask you to do that," Luke protested, arms still wrapped around my waist. "Your family–"

"–needs to meet you, pronto." I finished the sentence for him. "I want to introduce you to my mom and to Paul…"

"It's a little too early, don't you think?" Luke asked, a blush high on his cheeks; even then I could tell that his resolve was thinning.

"Nah, besides, my mom wants to meet the guy I've been telling her all about – the handsome one with the blue eyes and sandy blond hair." I grinned. "I was going to ask if Camp would allow you to have lunch with us at New York but then you tell me that you're leaving too so I'm taking that as an automatic yes."

"Oh hell," Luke muttered, raising his eyes to the ceiling before settling them back on me with a resigned smile.

"We'll go to Westport after lunch, okay?"

"… So it's a date?" Luke quirked his lips, pulling me flush against him and I muffled my laughter into the collar of his T-shirt.

I looked up at him with a wide grin of my own. "If you put it that way, yes, we're going on a double date with my parents."

"Hmm, our first date chaperoned by your parents." Even Luke couldn't contain his snickering. "Not bad at all…"

"Oh shut it."

To that, Luke simply captured my lips in response.

* * *

><p>Last night's bead ceremony lasted longer than expected. Annabeth gave out beads with the Empire State Building on it along with the names of everyone we lost in the war. I re-tied the leather string around my neck, now carrying four beads. As we bid each other goodnight, I noticed that Luke's necklace only had one bead; I decided not to ask.<p>

This morning, my first order of business was to IM my mom. A few seconds after I deposited a golden drachma at the fountain, I was greeted with the sight of Paul's – I mean, our kitchen. I had a hard time remembering that we lived under Paul's roof now. My mom was putting on her apron and she jumped a little when she saw me.

"Percy!" A smile brightened her features as she moved closer so I could see her more clearly. "Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?"

"I did, mom. How about you? Is Paul awake yet?"

"I'm fine, dear," she tucked away a strand of hair behind her ear. "Paul's still asleep, though. He'd stayed up last night fixing his lesson plans." We shared a laugh at that.

"So Percy…" My mom had this gleam in her eyes and I braced myself for what was coming. "What time should we expect you and Luke to arrive?"

"The van leaves at ten so maybe around quarter to twelve…?" I fiddled with the hem of my jeans' pocket.

"Okay, so is there a particular food that Luke likes – his favorite?"

I had no idea and boy did that dampen my spirits. "He likes Kool Aid…?" I managed and the brewing uncertainty I had must've shown on my face because my mom's tone changed completely.

"Percy?" she asked, brows creased with worry.

I couldn't refuse her, I never could. Besides, wasn't this something kids were supposed to share with their moms? "It's just… introducing Luke to you and Paul, I mean… maybe I was too pushy – I didn't give Luke a chance to decline. Mom, what if–"

"Hey now." Her blue eyes were told me that she wanted nothing more than to hug me at that moment and I only just realized how much I missed her. Calling her everyday, even if it was through Iris messages, just didn't cut it.

"You told me before that Luke's an independent person. He would've put his foot down if he really didn't want to go…"

I clamped my mouth shut and waited for her to continue.

"It's going to be fine," she assured me and the confidence in her tone brought me closer to believing it. "You just worry about packing your bags – don't leave anything important behind, and we'll see you and Luke for lunch. Paul says you could take his Prius to Connecticut."

I wasn't so sure about the 'Prius to Connecticut' part but I nodded nonetheless. "Okay, mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, Percy," she blew me a kiss and I ended the call.

* * *

><p>Come breakfast, the Artemis table was noticeably empty. A lot of the campers still had bed hair and still more were straggling towards the Mess Hall with rumpled clothes.<p>

I ate my breakfast with less gusto than usual, playing with my cereal and mostly ignoring the excited chatter around me.

"_What_ is with your face, Percy?" an exuberant voice came from behind me. Grover was dressed in casual clothes, holding a pair of sneakers with fake feet on one hand.

"Morning, G-man," I tried to sound half as lively as he did but failed terribly.

"Well hello to you, too, grumpy," Grover sat on the bench to my left, taking off his Rasta cap. "Come on, out with it Percy. I know you're bothered – empathy link, remember?"

I sighed, giving up on the last dregs of my breakfast. Well, what else were best friends for? "I'm introducing Luke to my mom and stepdad."

"And you're having second thoughts about it," Grover nodded understandingly. "You're nervous, I get it, heck I was nervous myself when I introduced Juniper to my old dad… but that's just normal!" He nudged me good-naturedly and I grudgingly found myself smiling.

"Thanks, man." We bumped fists and I nodded to his outfit. "So I'm guessing you're back to searching? I thought Lords of the Wild get special privileges and all that…"

"Oh they do – I mean, we do," Grover admitted bashfully. "But you saw all those new demigods coming into camp, with the lesser gods claiming their kids our plates are suddenly overflowing. Can't slack off, you know?"

"You seem to be in a hurry, though," I mused.

"Well, it's never a bad thing to start things early, right?" Grover put on his Rasta cap.

"Whatever you say, G-man," I conceded. With a pat on the shoulder and a wish for good luck, Grover left my table. He went over to the Athena table to bid Annabeth goodbye and he did the same at the Hermes table, saying goodbye to Luke. I watched Grover walk away until he disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p>I zipped up my jacket, stared at my reflection and thought the better of it. I unzipped my jacket and grabbed the stuffed duffel bag sitting on my bunk. Riptide was in my pocket and the collapsible shield was on my wrist in watch-form, I was confident that I hadn't left anything behind. I opened the door to find Rachel and Annabeth waiting for me.<p>

"Percy, hey." Rachel stood up; a knapsack strapped to her back and a wrapped canvas rested on the porch beside her. Annabeth was dusting off her shorts as she nodded hello.

"You don't have your things with you," I pointed out, noticing Annabeth.

"I'll be heading directly to Olympus this afternoon," she explained as the three of us set off for the Hill. "I've told my dad about the rebuilding of Olympus and he said it was okay if I skip school for the year."

Rachel sighed dramatically. "Some people just have all the luck…"

She had made a deal with her father, in exchange for being allowed to go to New York during the Battle of Manhattan she promised to attend some prestigious all-girls private school.

"It won't be that bad," I tried to reassure her.

"I'm just worried that I'll be blurting out prophecies every time someone asks me a question – can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"

Annabeth repeated my sentiments, telling Rachel that she did right by taking one for the team.

As we neared the crest of the hill, a tall blond figure caught my attention.

I froze, three-quarters up the hill, when the guy turned around and his clear blue eyes zeroed in on me.

_Holy Poseidon!_

My jaw unhinged and I was in no hurry to fix it just yet because IT. WAS. LUKE.

His hair was parted on one side and combed down – a _very_ far cry from his usually careless style. He wore a wine red button-down shirt, denim jeans, and loafers. Pardon my French please because _hot damn_.

Vaguely, I was aware of Annabeth paying Rachel two golden drachmas behind my back.

"Percy!" Luke jogged over, hitching a sling bag on his shoulder. "Hi."

Only then did I remember to shut my mouth. I gave him another once-over and I felt exceptionally underdressed in my T-shirt, jacket, and cargo pants. "What are you dressed up for?" I asked with great disbelief.

"I'm meeting your parents aren't I?" Luke said matter-of-factly.

Just then, Drew, daughter of Aphrodite, stopped beside us. She batted her eyelashes at Luke, smiling sweetly. "Hi Luke, I'm thinking you, me, and a lunch date right about now."

She was using _that voice _and I know I shouldn't hit girls but she was sort of asking for it.

Luke, on the other hand, merely shook his head. "How many times do I need to turn you down? Besides," one of his arms encircled my waist, pulling me flush against him as he rested his chin on my shoulder. "Percy's right here."

Drew huffed and sashayed past us, dragging a cream Gucci luggage bag behind her.

"She just _had_ to make a dramatic exit," Annabeth muttered. And while I whole-heartedly agree with her, I was more concerned with Luke's proximity and how I was finding it harder to breathe because the cologne he'd put on was very, very rousing.

"Percy, you're all red – are you even breathing?" Rachel's amused voice broke through and Luke held me tighter, craning his neck to get a good look on my face. I promptly stared in the opposite direction.

"J-Just, can you back away for a moment, Luke? Please?" I squeaked and Luke, thankfully, complied without asking. I took the opportunity to compose myself.

When I turned back to them, all three wore meaningful grins; Annabeth's had the least bit of remorse.

"We're going to be late," was all I said before I stomped past them and all but ran down the other side of the hill. "The van's going to leave us be–"

The van was gone. The only vehicle around was a sleek black limo.

Oh, great.

I didn't even have to say anything, I merely crossed my arms and soon Luke and the girls were beside me, identical grins still intact.

"Let me just say that it was all the girls' idea," Luke said.

"In other words, you had two teenage girls boss you around." I gave him an unimpressed look.

"Hey, we're just trying to help," Annabeth came to Luke's defense.

"Anyway, you're right Percy," Rachel added. "You guys are going to be late, so I suggest less complaining and more getting in the limo ASAP."

"Fine," I gave in.

All of us, except Annabeth, piled into the waiting limo and it didn't take long for Camp Half-Blood to disappear in the distance.

I kept clear on the farthest end of the seat from Luke, across us Rachel had her canvas sitting beside her. Soft jazz music was playing from the radio and none of us was saying a word, a kind of I'm-not-talking-because-I'm-trying-to-stay-angry-but-that's-impossible-because-she's-my-friend-and-he's-my-boyfriend silence filled the car.

The limo drove into the busy streets of New York; I assumed the driver already knew where to drop us off because nobody was asking. The traffic was moderately heavy since it was Sunday morning and tomorrow would be the first day of school, last-minute shoppers filling the malls wasn't unusual.

I whiled the journey looking out at the shops and the sidewalks and the people all rushing to reach some place. The limo got caught in a red light when I noticed something unusual. I blinked a couple of times, each time wishing the sight to just be an illusion but every time I opened my eyes they were still there. My blood ran cold.

Three grandmothers were sitting on the bench at a bus stop, a big basket filled with balls of multi-colored yarn on their feet. A very long scarf out of electric-blue yarn was in the making, it was folded on the lap of the one in the middle while the two others knitted at its ends, extending the already ridiculously long scarf. A bronze and silver pair of shears was sitting atop the bundle.

Pretending to be angry slipped out of my mind and I jumped back, unable to take my eyes off the old ladies. My hand scrambled to grab Luke's.

"Percy, what–" Luke's voice cut off, his grip became vice-like.

"They're not human, are they?" Rachel wondered aloud with an edge of apprehension.

"No, no, no, no," I helplessly whispered. Don't cut that thread – please, please, _please_ don't cut that thread.

The limo suddenly moved and we drove past the Fates. I scrambled to find them through the back window but the bus stop only had men and women in business suits – the Fates had vanished.

Luke pulled me back down onto the seat. I plastered myself to his side and held his hand hostage between both of mine. He directed my head to rest on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"T-They can't, Luke," I mumbled, closing my eyes. "They can't – they won't – I won't let them…"

"Ssshhh," Luke laid his cheek on my head. "They didn't do anything, Percy, it was nothing."

"But you saw them, too, that had to mean something!"

"No, Percy, it doesn't. I'm right here."

"You don't understand," I pulled back and we locked gazes. "I've seen them before – days before I got into Camp for the first time. That time they cut the thread. Luke, what if–"

"I'm scared, too, Percy," Luke admitted quietly and that, of all things, finally got me taking control of my emotions. "I was supposed to die by the prophecy, remember? If they had come to collect me–"

"Don't say that."

"I won't make it easy for them." He brought his face near mine, staring deep into me as he whispered. "Because I have something worth living for right here."

I wanted to close the gap between us, to pull him into a kiss and quite possibly never let go. A constant need to feel him close, alive, breathing against me was threatening to overpower everything else and, surprisingly, I had nothing against that… until I heard Rachel.

"Those were the Fates?" Rachel asked with a shiver. Luke and I turned to face her and it unnerved me to see her so shaken up. This is the girl who earned my respect by throwing a blue hair brush at Kronos we're talking about! Rachel rubbed her arms through the long sleeves of her shirt; a thoughtful look on her freckled face.

"Yeah, the apportioners of destiny," Luke replied.

"Well, if it's any consolation," Rachel said, a smile growing on her lips as she looked at Luke and me. "At least you guys aren't pretending to be mad anymore."

That was the last sentence I'd expected to hear and I couldn't help the chuckle that broke out.

When the limo finally stopped in front of the apartment, the three of us hardly spared a thought about the Fates and I was back to being nervous about Luke meeting my mom and stepdad.

Rachel waved from the open window as the car pulled out of the driveway. Once the car turned the corner, I noticed that Luke's smile was a little forced and the hand he'd waved at Rachel was now twitching at his side. Good to know he was sharing my sentiments.

"Ready?"

Luke put on a brave front that just about anyone could see through. "Bring it on."


	6. Extreme Home Makeover Is In No Way Fun

We took the stairs to relieve some of the pent up tension we both had from the ride. By the time we reached the front door, Luke and I were relatively calmer. I had my house keys but I thought it better to ring the doorbell.

Paul opened the door and I hid my smile when Luke's posture suddenly turned rigid. Paul settled for patting me on the shoulder before he turned to Luke.

"Paul, this is Luke Castellan… my boyfriend." We didn't really discuss our status but I couldn't stop myself. A silly grin was on my lips and even the tips of my ears felt hot, I just barely heard Luke's sharp intake of breath at my introduction. "Luke, this is my stepfather, Paul Blofis."

"It's great to meet you, sir." Luke extended his hand and Paul shook it warmly.

"No, no, the pleasure's all mine." Paul smiled as he opened the door wider to let us in. "Sally's nearly finished with the cooking, let me just tell her you're here…" He left for the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Luke nudged me on the ribs.

"What?" It was no use acting innocent but still.

"You are not making this meeting easy, Perce," Luke whispered, the blush high on his cheeks.

I winked at him.

"Percy!" That was my mom. It took less than a second for me to meet my mom's embrace. When we parted, she held me at arm's length and looked me up and down. Satisfied that I had come home in one piece, she kissed my cheek before she turned her attention to Luke. "And you must be Luke."

He extended a hand to her but my mom just shook her head and instead enveloped him in a quick hug. Luke froze up for a moment but he soon returned the gesture.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person," Mom patted Luke's cheek.

"Same here, ma'am." Luke had this little quirk of a smile that was just a whole different category of cute.

"Percy's been going on and on about you in his recent Iris messages–"

"Mom!" Of course, the embarrassing revelations had to come out some time.

"Oops?" Her eyes shone bright with amusement as she put a hand each on Luke's and my shoulder. "Anyway, you guys just leave your bags in Percy's room for the moment. Paul and I will just finish setting the table and then we'll have lunch, alright?"

"I can help." Luke and I offered simultaneously which had me grinning.

"Thank you boys, but we can handle it." She gave us a light tap to get us moving. "Lunch is in five minutes."

"Come on…" I brushed my hand against Luke's in passing, motioning him to follow. I idly named every closed door that we passed – "Storage room, study, master's bedroom down that hall, bathroom, spare room, aaaand mine."

I opened the blue-painted door and gestured for Luke go in. Closing the door, I noticed for the first time that everything was in order – a far image from my last memory of it. "Just drop your bag anywhere," I said, letting my duffel fall to the floor. Luke, however, was busy staring at the room – taking in the walls and the furniture and the decorations with an expression of amazement that you'd think he was actually in a museum. Slowly, Luke turned around, calculating eyes sweeping through the room until they landed on me. "You have a very nice house," he said.

"This used to be Paul's bachelor pad but, anyway… Thanks. It's still weird though," I admitted, stepping closer. "I've only lived here for a few months and sometimes I'd still mistake the storage room for my bedroom. And I'm pretty sure my room was a dump when I left it."

Luke grinned a little at that.

I took the strap of his sling bag and guided it over his head, then I picked up my duffel and set both bags on the foot of my bed. I lay down on the bed, my legs hanging over the edge, and patted the space beside me. Luke chose to sit.

"They like you." I smiled up at him.

"They have expectations of me," Luke corrected and I hit him lightly on his side.

"Everyone has expectations but you are _amazing_, Luke. Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise."

He simply stared at me for the longest moment until finally he relented, the tension leaving his posture. He placed his hand beside my head and leaned over, lowering himself until we were chest to chest. Space was practically non-existent between us.

"You're kind of spoiling me, you know," his whispered, blue eyes clear and intense.

"We've got five minutes of privacy," I reminded him.

* * *

><p>Lunch was great. It's been too long since I've had my mom's cooking and my taste buds were rejoicing. Luke carried himself with ease and confidence this time around, making light exchanges and eventually he got swayed into telling the story behind the centaur in a tutu.<p>

"So, Luke," Paul began once our laughter died down. "What degree are you taking up, or have you finished already?"

I almost dropped my glass. Did I forget to put that under the list of do-not-asks? Crap.

"Sorry, but, I'm afraid I haven't attended college," Luke answered, attempting for casual but I could just see that cracks had formed. "I've been homeschooled and that didn't exactly work out so I just quit…"

Paul realized his mistake, he sought out my mom for help but I was faster.

"Well at least you've saved yourself the embarrassment of getting kicked out of schools," I said. "What was my record – seven schools in a row?"

Luke wore a surprised expression. "Really?"

"Haven't I mentioned it before…?" I smiled awkwardly.

"No…"

"Well it's never too late for that to change, right?" my mom appeased, if it was for me or for Luke I couldn't tell but just like that things shifted back to light conversation.

We finished the meal and once again neither nor Luke nor I were allowed to help. Paul set us down in front of the TV and told us to rest for a while before we set off to Connecticut. I picked up the remote and started surfing the channels for anything to watch. Luke's posture relaxed when I fitted myself to his side.

"Oh hey, catapults," Luke remarked and that was how we ended up on the Discovery Channel.

"Do you think we can build one of those at Camp?" I asked him as the host explained the use of catapults in ancient battles. "Maybe for Capture the Flag or something…"

Luke chuckled. "I don't know; they're rather bulky, more for long-distance attacks and open air spaces…"

I hummed my agreement; there was nothing I could think of saying. I'm with Luke, lunch was a success, there was really nothing more that I could ask for.

"Percy, can you come here for a second?" I heard my mom call from the kitchen as the catapult documentary ended. I excused myself from Luke and went over to the next room. I was greeted with the mouth-watering smell of freshly-baked cookies; on the table was a batch of my favorite blue food.

"Do you think this will be enough?" Mom asked, wiping a plastic container dry. "I figured I might as well pack some snacks for your trip."

I looked into the oven to find another batch baking. "That's plenty, mom." I hugged her. "You didn't have to but thanks."

She kissed the top of my head and said that was all but I insisted on helping put the cookies into the Tupperware. On the other side of the table, Paul was pouring grape Kool Aid into two canisters.

When I went back to the living room, the TV was on HBO playing that superhero movie that I always forgot the name of – the one with the ink-blot-faced guy.

"Hey," I said by way of greeting, cradling two tumblers and a Tupperware in my arms. "Ready to go?"

Luke raised a brow at the baggage I had. He turned off the TV and joined me on the other side of the couch, his eyes glued to the blue cookies.

"Is that–?"

"Yes," I cut him off, grinning. "I like blue food."

Luke casually shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I remember. First drink you ordered at camp was blue Cherry Coke."

My ears felt hot all the way back to my room.

Luke sat on my bed with the snacks as I went about emptying my duffel. I upended its contents into my laundry basket and went back to the bed to put the canisters and Tupperware into my bag – there was a lot of free space.

"You know, I think we can fit those in my sling bag," Luke offered, opening the zip. "It'll be easier to travel with less baggage."

"A duffel won't take up too much space…"

"I'm talking about teleporting," Luke smirked.

"New York to Connecticut? Are you serious?"

"Hey, as long as I have a clear idea of the place I can get there," Luke said proudly.

I sat beside him, conceding to his plan and emptying my duffel once more. Luke made space in his bag and took out one of his knives, complete with its sheath strap. I took the bag from him and placed the snacks properly while he attached the sheath to his belt. We finished just as knocking came from my door.

"Come in."

My mom and Paul stepped into the room. "You guys all packed up?" Paul nodded to the sudden bulk of Luke's bag that I had on my lap.

"Yes, sir," Luke affirmed.

Paul revealed his Prius' keys in his hands, giving them out to Luke. "Drive safely."

"Oh." Luke backed away. "I don't actually drive…"

"Luke's going to teleport us there," I explained.

My mom looked uncertain; she turned her questioning gaze on Luke. "Is that safe?"

"Yes, ma'am." Luke's response seemed to be enough and my mom settled for hugging him goodbye.

"Well, in any case, you two be careful, alright?" Paul tried his best strict-parent expression on Luke who nodded. He then extended his hand, "It's been good to meet you, Luke."

"Same here."

Meanwhile, my mom had me in a warm embrace. "Just call if you're gonna be late, okay?"

"Okay," I promised as we let go. I hitched Luke's bag up my shoulder and his hand found mine.

Mom and Paul backed away when Luke drew his celestial bronze hunting knife.

"I'll see you guys later." I stood side-by-side with Luke, gripping his hand securely.

"Thanks for the hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Blofis."

With that, Luke sliced the air and my bedroom disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p>In a blink I found myself standing in front of a white Colonial house. A brick pathway stretched from the street up to the front porch, it was lined with plush dolls of mythical monsters. Luke sheathed his blade and we walked up the path. My eyes found the apple tree with the rusty swing set underneath – except that the swing set looked brand new, painted with a fresh coat of white. Luke suddenly gripped my hand tighter, his bronze knife unsheathed, already poised to strike.<p>

I brought out Riptide, looking for anything and everything out of place. I ended up staring at the plushies – they were all clean, the hydra (which I remembered having a sapling growing out of its neck) sat complete with five heads. The once overgrown yard was trimmed neat.

I met Luke's eyes and we sprinted up to the front door, ringing the doorbell. No answer. Luke pressed the doorbell again. Still nothing. We ran to the windows, peering past the curtains. There was no sign of movement, no sign of life. Without saying a word, the two of us reached an agreement.

Picking the lock took no time at all and we were soon scouting the interior of the house. Walking around the Castellan home gave me the chills, I was not used to the silence and I kept expecting May Castellan to come around some corner. Luke checked up the stairs while I covered the ground floor. I walked into the kitchen and felt my stomach drop. Not a single Tupperware, not one baking pan, no Kool Aid packets scattered around. Everything was clean and things were in place in the cupboards and in the fridge. The only thing untouched was the window above the kitchen sink and its collage of all things Hermes. The Medusa plush doll sat innocently by the faucet, I remembered May talking to the doll and I had to turn away.

Luke stood frozen in the doorway, the expression on him much like that of a lost child's. His blue eyes were wide and panic-stricken. He looked at me and confirmed my worst suspicions with the pursing of his lips.

Together, we rushed out the back door, exploring the perimeter of the house – Luke even got up the roof but there was still no clue. We ended up back on the street.

Luke was visibly shaking and I was in no better condition; my mind was racing and my heart was beating with abandon. May Castellan had vanished without a trace. I bit down on my lip, pushing thoughts of Hades and the Fates because no. No way. They can't do this.

"You boys! What are you doing there?" a masculine voice demanded. "Are those _swords_?! What are you doing with those things?!"

A middle-aged man was staring at us; he looked one second away from calling the cops.

"Hey," I brought his attention to me and snapped my fingers. "You don't see any swords. We're not holding anything."

His eyes glazed over and he lowered his cellphone. "No… swords…"

"Yes, now we're friends of May Castellan," I continued. "So you'll tell us what we need to know."

"Okay," the man blinked and his eyes became clear. "Oh yes, I remember you." He said, peering over his glasses as Luke. "Why, what are you two doing here?"

"Sorry?" I didn't understand, I was pretty sure I worked the Mist right.

"Shouldn't you be at the hospital, taking care of May?" the guy clarified.

"What hospital?" Luke demanded, speaking for the first time since we got here.

"Why Holbrook Hospital, of course," the guy shook his head sadly. "No news on her whatsoever around here and she's been there for two weeks now."

"Oh. Right." I answered, my mouth suddenly dry. "We – We'll be on our way then. Thank you sir…"

The guy took his leave and I turned to Luke. His face was ashen and his lips were set to a thin line. I capped Riptide and put it back in my pocket.

"Luke…" I cupped his cheeks, staring into his scared eyes. "We should go."

He nodded, taking hold of my hand. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, pressing my hand against his scarred cheek.

I lowered my other hand and stepped closer, wrapping my arm around his waist and laying my head on his shoulder. It will be okay, I tried to say but my own voice failed me. So I settled for pressing us together so tightly I could feel his heart pounding against mine.

Luke slashed at the air.


	7. Holbrook Hospital

Room 131, the desk nurse said, last door on the hallway to the right. The plaque on the door read 'Castellan, M.' underneath it was 'Dr. W. Allen, M.D.'. Luke's fist hesitated over the door as he tried to compose himself. Finally, with a brief squeeze of my hand, he knocked three times and pushed the door open.

A white-haired lady looked up from the book on her lap, light brown eyes pinning us by the door. Her hair fell in a gentle wave past her shoulders, the blue hospital gown cloaking her frail form. Her lined face crinkled as recognition sparked her memory, she raised her veined hands to her mouth as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Beside me, Luke had gone completely still with a grip that would've broken my hand if I didn't have Achilles' curse. You would've heard a pin drop in the silence that had overtaken the room.

A tear slid down May Castellan's sullen cheeks and before I knew it, Luke was beside the hospital bed, holding his mother's hand.

"My boy…" May's faint voice, something about the way she addressed Luke, made my eyes sting.

"Hi, Mom," Luke choked out, eyes shut tight as thought it would prevent his own tears from spilling.

Suddenly, I couldn't stay in the same room anymore, I felt like an intruder. I stepped back and was about to pull the door close when Luke called me back.

"Percy, wait–!" His blue eyes were misty, his mother's hand lightly touching his cheek.

"No," I politely declined. "You guys need some privacy… I'll just be outside the door."

"But–"

"Luke," I gave a half-smile. "You don't need me for this." I closed the door.

* * *

><p>I found a comfy spot on the tiles, drawing my legs up to my chest, and only then did I let my tears fall. May Castellan is alive. Luke can fix things with his mom. We weren't too late.<p>

I rubbed the sleeve of my jacket over my eyes. Too much had already happened and it was only an hour past noon.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes later when the door opened and Luke's head popped out. His eyes were red-rimmed but he wore a smile.

"You can't possibly be done already," I told him pointedly. "I'm fine, Luke, now go fix things up with your mom and stop worrying about me."

"Looks like someone forgot their place on my priority list." Luke stepped out, still holding the door ajar. "My mom wants to meet you properly, Percy, so get in here."

I rolled my eyes at his flimsy excuse but I got on my feet anyway. Luke swiped his thumb under my eye as I passed him. I glared at him, daring him to comment but he just leaned in and kissed me quick.

Luke led me to one of the two plastic seats beside the hospital bed. May Castellan had set her book aside and as Luke settled down, he took one of her hands in his; their hands lay clasped together over the white sheets.

"Mom," Luke's face brightened at the word. "This is Percy Jackson. Percy, my mom, May."

"Why do I feel like I've met you before?" May asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Um, I sort of visited you at your house before… around three weeks ago," I admitted sheepishly.

"Ah, yes, I remember now," she mused. "Yes, yes… I should apologize, dear, I don't think I've treated you well–"

"Oh, no need to apologize, Ms. C.," I offered her a smile. "I'm just glad that you're better now."

"Believe me, so am I," May laughed a little. "But seriously now. Percy, I give you my deepest thanks."

"I'm sorry but, what for?"

"For saving Luke," May stated as though it as the most heroic thing ever done.

I blushed to my roots.

"Can I get a hug from the great hero of Olympus?" May opened her arms wide. I tried to deny the title but Luke nudged me and I gave in. I walked over and put my arms around May's frail form. She whispered another 'Thank you' in my ear, making me hug her tighter.

I returned to my seat and this time Luke was the one asking questions.

"Mom?" Luke ventured and I thought May was going to cry again but she just nodded at her son to continue. "What happened? Why are you confined?"

A thoughtful expression was on May Castellan's face as she stared at some far point in the room. "Well I don't really recall what happened that day but I saw a lot of light and green smoke and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders… it felt like a quilt that had been pulled around me so tight had finally unraveled… After that I didn't know anymore, I just woke up here and the nurse told me I'd been out for a week! Then the doctor came and said that they needed to keep an eye on me for another week to monitor my health – they told me I'd suffered some minor concussions and I was frightfully weak from malnutrition. I think they'll discharge me today, yes, I think so…"

"That's great Ms. C." But I was smiling more at Luke's direction. "I mean, the discharge you know not the concussions and stuff…"

"So can we get you out now?" Luke's voice held nervous excitement.

"Oh don't be in such a hurry," May placed her other hand on top of Luke's. "Your father's taking care of the paperwork; I'd expect he'd drop by later in the afternoon."

"Hermes?" Surprise was painted on Luke's face but personally, I'd sort of expected that reply from May.

"Why yes of course," May's face was overcome with affection. "He's been visiting me everyday. He'd sit there" she indicated Luke's seat "and talk to me. Mostly he'd update me on current events – we have our first black president, imagine that! I say it's a shame I hadn't done my part to put him into office. Oh but the debt crisis and the unemployment – dear me, I've got a lot to catch up on else I'd be disgrace to all historians…"

"You're a historian?" Luke sounded confused, if not a little shocked at the fact. I didn't even spare a thought about May Castellan having a job – I mean, she's been under a curse for twenty-something years, the thought of her commuting to an office just didn't make sense. But being a historian, she probably didn't even need to leave her house.

"Are you surprised?" May regarded the both of us kindly. "I daresay I mustn't have shown it much in the past but I do have a Master's degree. But enough about me, how about you two?" She folded her hands together on her lap. "Tell me, how did you meet?"

Luke and I couldn't look at each other. I could practically feel the heat waves coming from the both of us.

"I do think I deserve to know more about you, Luke," May's expression turned a little sad. "Ever since you left, there wasn't a second that you weren't in my thoughts."

A pained expression seeped into the edge of Luke's features. My hand found its spot on his shoulder – reminding him that he was strong, the he could do this, that I was there.

He flashed me a smile and with a deep breath he recounted his journeys.

The years of living in the streets, all by himself. Meeting Thalia who'd run away from her own home; having his first real friend. Meeting Annabeth. Being found by Grover and the road to Camp Half-Blood. Thalia's last stand. His quest for the Apple of Hesperides, how he got his scar. Kronos. Me.

"Percy came to Camp with a bang – killing a Minotaur just outside the border," Luke turned to me with a guilty smile. "I almost wished Hermes would claim him. Or that he'd stay unclaimed."

My whole face heated up. That was definitely one side of the story that I've never heard.

Luke continued. The Quest for the Master Bolt and how it fell with Kronos' plans. His defection. Gathering troops at The Princess Andromeda. ("Funny, isn't Andromeda Perseus' wife from mythology?" May not-so-subtly pointed out.) And everything else until the defeat of Kronos.

Now May had her eyes closed as though she was processing everything, memorizing the life her son had lived without her. When she opened them, her light brown irises were turned to me and I shared my own not-as-great-as-Luke's adventures.

At around half-past four (at least according to the wall clock) we were eating the snacks my mother had packed for us when three knocks came from the door. A man with dark curly hair wearing a white polo and dark slacks stood frozen in the doorway much like Luke and I had been earlier.

"Hello, dear," May wore her brightest smile. She lifted the Tupperware of blue cookies that was on her side. "Have a cookie?"

The man closed the door behind him and I saw neon green worm-like things slithering around the antenna of his mobile phone. Hermes (his blue eyes the very same color as Luke's) stared uncomprehendingly at me and then he shifted his gaze to Luke.

_Ooh look who's come to visit, too_, came Martha's voice.

_The saviors of Olympus in a Connecticut hospital_, George added.

Wordlessly, Luke stood up. He walked over to the back of my seat and placed his hand on my shoulder. I thought it was to keep me sitting, a silent command not to interfere but then he spoke, the first time I've heard him use a civil tone regarding his father.

"Have a seat."

For a second, Hermes hesitated but when he looked at May smiling serenely at him he nodded, albeit rather stiffly.

"Thank you, Luke."

_Well, pull my tail I'm surprised!_ George said. _Manners coming from Luke – imagine that!_

_Oh shut up, George_, Martha scolded.

May's smile was full of love as she offered Hermes the Tupperware. "Really, Hermes, take one," she said.

"Why are they blue, though…" Hermes said as he took one and chewed on it.

"Um, my mom made them," I mumbled.

_And still no rats_, George muttered.

"Sorry," I felt rather weird talking to a neon worm on a phone but what can you do?

Hermes tilted his head as though scrutinizing me (or the cookie) but he only grinned. His eyes flickered briefly to Luke's hand on my shoulder, and then to Luke, before turning his attention back to May. "Anyway, I've filled out the paper works. You can go home anytime."

He snapped his fingers and a gym bag appeared on the foot of the hospital bed, underneath it was a large envelope with the hospital's name and logo printed on one corner.

May thanked him and Hermes stood up, placing a kiss on her forehead. He made to leave when Luke spoke up.

"So you're just gonna leave? You pop in, say hello, and then you're gone again?" Luke sounded like he was barely keeping control over his emotions.

_Oh boy, here it comes_.

_George, I swear – shut your trap_, Martha said and the two of them became a blur of neon as they chased each other around the phone's antenna.

For once Hermes ignored them; instead he turned to Luke wearing a placid smile. "I came here thinking that I'm needed, Luke." The hand on my shoulder tensed. "But I see that May is already well-attended to. So I take my leave."

As if on cue, his caduceus-mobile started ringing and George and Martha disentangled themselves. _Demeter incoming,_ both their voices said.

Hermes opened the door. "Oh and one more thing, boys," he looked directly at me. "Lock the doors when you leave the house next time, okay?" He disappeared in a blink and the door swung close.

A slight cough brought our attention back to May.

"Could you boys be kind enough to help me to the bathroom?" She nodded at the gym bag that Hermes had left.

While May changed clothes, Luke and I sat together on the hospital bed.

"I totally blew it didn't I?" Luke sighed.

"No, you didn't," I reassured him. "Hermes understands, I'm sure he does."

"Percy he was begging for my forgiveness back at Olympus," Luke stared down at his hands. "All my life I thought he didn't care and I hated him for that but – but I was wrong. I was so wrong and now I can't even face him because I don't know _how_. I mean, he's my dad and I'm just…"

I cupped his face, "You called him your dad… that's a start."

Luke stilled for a moment before letting out a begrudging smile. He took my hand and kissed my palm. "You have to stop being so perfect sometimes…"

I had to turn away before I did something stupid like tackle him into the mattress and kiss him senseless.

Just then there was a knock on the door and in came a fifty-something man with gray hair and spectacles. I couldn't quite read the nameplate on his lab coat.

"Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Allen," he greeted warmly though his face showed a bit of confusion. "Miss Castellan is…?"

"Oh she's just changing," Luke stood up, pointing at the bathroom door. "I'm Luke Castellan, her son."

Dr. Allen's face lighted up and they shook hands. "Good to meet you, young man." His eyes flickered onto me as I climbed off the bed.

"Percy Jackson," I extended my hand to him.

"Good to meet you, too," he shook my hand.

The bathroom door opened and May Castellan walked out in a long floral dress. I rushed to get the gym bag from her hands.

"Doctor," she nodded.

"And how are you feeling today?" Dr. Allen asked.

"Oh, I'm all set to go," May replied.

"Well then, I'm just here to give a few reminders," Dr. Allen addressed the three of us. He gave us a piece of paper that listed the dos and don'ts in regards to May's health and then bid us goodbye.

I hitched up Luke's sling bag while he carried his mother's belongings, leaving May with only her purse to carry. The drugstore across the street provided us with the doctor's prescribed medicine and we piled into a cab after May talked Luke down about teleporting. In thirty minute's time we were back at the Castellan home.

May found the orderliness of her house confusing but she came to a conclusion that wasn't very far from mine: Hermes.

First thing I learned on the Castellan household: no shoes in the house.

After setting her things back in her room, May began fussing over preparations for dinner. I tried to excuse myself but both Castellans were solid in their stance. I called my mom to tell her that I'd be home later than expected.

After much pestering, May was persuaded to let us help in making pasta for dinner.

Luke and I won the debate on who would wash the dishes and once we were done eating, May retired to her room to rest as the doctor prescribed.

Washing the dishes with Luke felt eerily domestic. They had a dishwasher but Luke preferred to clean the plates manually; he lathered, I rinsed and put the dishes on the drying rack. We added in the empty snack containers that we brought from my house. It didn't take long but the sky outside had already turned dark when we finished.

It was time to go home but I didn't want to. Not yet. Luke seemed to be thinking the same thing as he grabbed his sling bag from where I'd left it on the sofa.

"Do you wanna come upstairs for a minute?" Luke asked with uncertainty.

I shrugged. "Okay."


	8. What Mr Rogers Saw

He led the way to his room and he looked as much of a stranger in it as I was. I hung back at the door, watching Luke go around, eyes clouded with memory as his fingers trailed over surfaces.

The room didn't have a lot of decorations – no photos, no posters. An open trunk at the foot of the bed showed a modest collection of toy soldiers and tanks with a deflated soccer ball and a couple of children's storybooks thrown in. On the bedside table was a lamp with cartoon animals and a tattered hardbound book, its gold inlaid title already faded. Luke walked over to a set of doors and revealed a walk-in closet filled with children's clothes and shoeboxes. I could see his Adam's apple working as he swallowed hard; he closed the doors and turned to the plastic study table at the corner. A biology book lay open, its pictures of marine animals colored in with Crayola, the guilty crayons sitting comfortably in their box right beside it. Luke dropped his bag on the plastic seat and turned to me.

"Sorry," he said, looking extremely guilty. "I just… I never actually expected that I'd be staying in this room again… So many memories, you know, most of them aren't very good…"

"Hey, it's alright," I closed the door behind me and went over to him. "Cute panda, by the way," I nodded at the stuffed toy sitting on the baby blue covers of his twin bed.

That earned me a small smile. Luke led me over to his bed, we sat facing each other and he grabbed the plushie. "I thought I lost this ages ago," he mused, blue eyes lifted to me. "I brought him with me when I ran away."

"Him?" I raised a brow, taking the panda into my hands. It was medium-sized with very soft fur, its glassy brown eyes innocently looked up at me.

"He's Mr. Rogers," Luke said as I pressed the panda's nose against mine in an effort to stifle my grin, the fur brushing against my cheeks didn't really help. "Yeah, yeah, now give him here." He snatched the doll from my hands and set it behind him, far away from my reach.

I shifted closer, staring up at Luke. "I'm glad things are going great for you," I told him earnestly, "Your mom is safe, you're back home – everything's looking up now."

Luke wore a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you so much, Percy."

"What's with that tone?" I asked, a little bit nervous.

"I won't see you for months," Luke said, the light in his eyes getting dimmer by the second.

"I'll call you everyday," I said, I was going to add chatting and e-mails but Luke cut me off.

"That's technology, Percy," he said in an almost lecturing tone. "It'll be like broadcasting '_demigod present, attack here_' to monsters everywhere."

"Monsters keep finding me anyway."

"Well, yeah, but my mom, you know…" Luke stared out the window. "I don't think she'll be welcoming Hyperboleans at the front door. I want to keep a low profile for now…"

"…We could still IM," I tired, not liking the thought of having no contact with Luke in the foreseeable future.

"If I get a hold on some drachmas," Luke said resignedly. "Hey now don't look like that…" He cupped my cheek.

The thought that we'd be separated by distance had never worried me until then. These last two weeks I'd been so used to him being just four cabins away, I've assumed that we'd be able to keep in touch somehow.

Luke's hands planted themselves on my temples, his thumbs smoothing away the crease of my brows. "Come on, stop thinking so much."

I met his gaze, suddenly overwhelmed. Tomorrow I'll be back as the school's resident dyslexic nobody. The only friend I had at Goode was Rachel and being ignored was only marginally better than being bullied. "I'm gonna miss you, too," I whispered in resignation. I wrapped my arms around his neck and met his kiss half-way.

Luke's hands slid to my waist, thumbs slipping under the hem of my T-shirt. The contact was minimal but I still felt the burn all over my body. Like a switch had just been flipped, releasing something that I had been subconsciously holding back.

"I really don't want you to go yet," Luke said in between kisses that started out innocent but were now on a completely different level.

My hands moved to massage his shoulders as I nibbled on his bottom lip. "Oh yeah?"

Luke's eyes darkened. "Fuck yeah." The hand on my waist slipped under my T-shirt, making me shiver as Luke started caressing my side.

I groaned, pulling him into a deep kiss, putting my claim on that gorgeous and talented mouth. "Give me a reason," I murmured, fingers poised at the first button of Luke's shirt.

Luke chuckled, sucking at my chin which I was pretty sure wasn't an erogenous zone before but it – _oh gods _– it sure is now. "Number one, you're hot when you try to play cute."

I huffed, exposing my neck further as I popped open the first button and moved to the second. "Mm-hm, keep going…"

"I love your eyes." His lips latched onto my jaw.

_(Four)_

"You have this stupid messy hair that somehow I find adorable." One of his hands encircled my waist, pulling me closer as the other settled on my knee, slowly working its way up.

_(Three)_

"Your smile lights up the world." He burned the words to my skin with his tongue, licking a stripe along my jawline.

_(Two)_

Luke cupped me through my pants and I spat out a curse, unable to help myself from pressing against his hand.

"You are so fucking turned on," Luke breathed into my ear, nibbling at my earlobe.

"Ah – that's not _hah_ fair." I could barely form coherent sentences as the mere presence of Luke's hand on my crotch gave my brain a meltdown but my fingers stayed on the last button.

"Hmm," the tip of his tongue traced the shell of my ear. He then blew on it and a shiver wracked my whole body, I moaned out his name. "Okay, how about _you_ have _me_ so fucking turned on it actually hurts?" He emphasized with a squeeze and damn it all I practically tore off the last obstacle.

_(One)_

Luke's tongue was back in my mouth as he worked open the fly on my pants. My hands were on his chest, feeling every movement of his muscles under his thin cotton undershirt. The drag of the zipper seemed too loud as Luke whispered, "Lie down."

I obliged and Luke positioned himself on his knees between my legs. He pulled off my pants leaving me in tented cotton boxers.

His pupils were blown wide and dark as he looked down at me, his lips glistening with saliva, a light sheen of sweat over his skin. For a second, we only stared at each other, breathing hard and taking in every detail.

"You're on my bed," Luke grinned. "Holy shit I have Percy fucking Jackson on my bed."

"Oh shut up," I retorted, grinning back. "Get with the program already."

Luke winked. He slipped off his button-down and discarded it; he then began working off his belt. His eyes were focused on me as he undid the leather sheath straps on his thighs – it was practically a strip tease. My hand twitched to touch myself but, as though reading my mind, Luke gave a jerk of his head to say 'no'. I settled for biting down on my lower lip as Luke undid his pants, revealing his own hard-on barely contained by his boxers.

I was allowed to stare right? So stare I did. Luke's sandy hair was sticking to his forehead and the look on his face was nothing short of smoldering. His body was perfect, muscular in a lean sort of way and _god_ I really just want his hands on me – is that too much to ask?

"Waiting for a mating call?" The words left my mouth before I could rethink it; my downstairs brain had taken over.

Luke smirked, crawling between my legs and lowering himself until we were just touching.

I closed my eyes and hissed out a curse. I would probably explode if so much as a finger of his touched my skin.

"You can touch if you like, Percy," Luke whispered at the corner of my lips, his voice low and seductive and – _the things it's doing to me!_

I opened my eyes half-way, meeting his tempting gaze. I nodded. I slipped hand under his cotton shirt, placed it on his chest and working my way down. I brushed against his perked nipples, experimentally pinching and rubbing the hardened nubs. He moaned into my mouth, sending tremors of arousal all over me, I was completely surrounded by him and I wanted nothing less.

"Go on," Luke ground out. I swallowed hard, feeling his abs rippling under my touch. A thin spattering of hair led me down from his navel to the opening of his jeans.

I hesitated but Luke gave me a nod and I gave in.

I slid my hand into his pants and was met with the hot, thick, and heavy weight of him.

Luke pressed his forehead against mine, his shoulders tensed under my other hand and he let out a drawn out groan.

I grasped his arousal firmly through the fabric and began stroking him. His mouth covered mine and I absorbed every breathy moan. He bucked against my hand and I couldn't help arching up my hips to meet him. It felt like heaven. I moved my hand out of the way and pulled Luke's pants a little lower. Grinding against each other broke our kiss because _fuck oh right there_. That was – that was just –

Luke grabbed my hand and put it on his shoulder. "Hold on tight," he said urgently. I didn't really understand until he lifted my leg and hooked it around his waist, aligning our erections and _ohhhhh_.

_OH._

I lifted my other leg, crossing it with the first one at the ankles on the small of Luke's back. He balanced himself over me, wild lustful eyes meeting mine. I nodded.

Luke grinded his hips against mine, pushing me deep into the mattress, his erection hard and insistent, rubbing against my own through layers of fabric. It left me breathless and wanting more.

I met his next dive with moves of my own, pulling him down with my legs and thrusting upwards, creating delicious friction that set every nerve of my body on fire.

Our pace grew faster as heat continued to build up and we began rutting with abandon. My nails were digging into Luke's back but I couldn't find the sense to be sorry about it when his mouth was right beside my ear whispering things that normally would've earned him a punch but were the hottest words imaginable right now.

I faltered, the last piece of the burning puzzle inside me falling into place and everything was too much and not enough and _oh god here it comes_ –

I pulled Luke against me, feverishly calling his name in between unintelligible groans as I reached completion. Luke soon followed, the pillow muffling his scream as he found release.

Luke slumped on top of me, both of us coming down from our orgasms. My boxers were wet and messy but I couldn't care much because my head was still in the clouds. I could feel Luke's heart thundering against my chest, his blond hair scratching my cheek, hot puffs of breath on my neck.

I wouldn't dare explain it but the next thing I knew I was smiling wide like a fool – or maybe like a madman. I breathed in deeply – sweat, sex, and Luke; my smile only grew wider as a furnace seemed to have just opened up in my chest.

I held Luke close to me, fingers finding the marks I had left on his back and rubbing them out. I buried my nose in his unruly, sweat-damp hair and planted a kiss on his scalp. I felt giddy.

Luke's responding chuckle made his entire body rumble against me, I didn't mind.

I kissed his shoulder. I kissed his neck. I hugged him tighter, using both arms and legs.

Luke wedged one of his hands under me, returning the embrace. He placed a kiss under my jaw and rolled us over until I was on top of him.

We stared at each other, biting back grins even though the shine in our eyes didn't hide a thing.

Luke's hands pushed my bangs away before cupping my face. I moved to return the favor, one hand resting on his scarred cheek once I was done.

"Hi," Luke said.

"Hello," I replied, biting down on my lower lip.

"Keep playing cute why don't you?" Luke rolled his eyes before pulling me down and capturing my lips in a sweet kiss.

I hummed in delight, thumb tracing the scar down Luke's cheek until my hand was on his jaw.

My lips lingered over Luke's, stealing light kisses as he tried to talk.

"We just–"

A peck. "Mm-hm."

"That was–"

A peck. "Orgasmic."

Luke raised a brow and I kissed him there just for the heck of it.

"I'm _sixteen_, Luke."

"Yes, fine, _orgasmic_."

I giggled, pecking him on the lips again.

He shot me an amused smile. "You keep doing that and you _really_ won't get home on time."

I pouted and gave him one long kiss before I rolled off. I located my pants and was in the process of putting them on when Luke wolf-whistled from behind me. I put a hand on my hip and smirked, looking back at him. "Oh yeah, you betterbe checking me out, Castellan."

Luke erupted in laughter and I couldn't help joining in because even I had no idea where that came from. I picked up his shirt and threw it at his face. "Just get dressed."

His quick reflexes snatched the shirt before it could hit him and Luke went about making himself presentable. The sticky mess inside my pants was only bearable because I knew Luke was dealing with the same thing.

Luke stepped up beside me, smiling like there was no tomorrow. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just the tumblers and stuff," I shrugged.

Luke paused half-way through opening the door. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to Mr. Rogers?" He nodded towards his bed – _the bed where the both of us just got off_ – where his old stuffed panda was sitting at a corner, big brown eyes staring at me.

"Oh my – _Luke_, what even–!" I punched him on the shoulder, slipping through the door.

"Oi, wait up!" Luke chased me down the hallway, right up to the other end with the stairs. He caught me by the waist and pulled me back just as I almost ran into May Castellan who was on her way up.

She looked bemusedly between me and Luke. "House Rule number two, boys, no running in the halls."

"Sorry," I said, struggling against Luke's vice-like grip. The blush on my cheeks couldn't get any redder; Luke and I were just – and his mom wasn't asleep – and oh hell.

"Percy's due home," Luke said. "We were just going to say goodbye."

"Ah yes, you have school tomorrow don't you?" May stepped up to the second floor landing. "Well it was very nice to meet you today, Percy."

"Same here, Ms. C," I returned her smile. "I would love to hug you goodbye but _someone_" I nudged Luke's midsection "just won't give up."

May gave a small laugh and moved forward to plant a kiss on my forehead. "That's all right, dear," she patted my cheek. "You two will be teleporting, then?"

"Yes, mom," Luke answered, bending over so that his mom could kiss his cheek.

"Well I just went down to get some water; I'll be going back to bed now," May said. "I've locked the doors so just be careful on your way, okay boys?"

"Yeah, okay," Luke nodded and with that May shuffled off into the master's bedroom which was beside the stairs. The wooden door creaked shut before either Luke or I spoke again.

"Your mom was awake," I said flatly.

"I had no idea," Luke replied in a wry tone.

I craned my neck to face him. "That wasn't awkward at all."

"Nope," Luke smirked, placing a kiss on the corner of my mouth. "Now shall we?"

We found a plastic bag in the kitchen to carry the food containers and with a slash of the bronze knife we were at the front door of the apartment in New York.

Our hands were clasped tightly, Luke's thumb rubbing the back of my hand. "I guess this is it, then."

"I guess it is." I pulled my hand free and stood in front of him, my back against the door. "Keep safe, alright?"

Luke chuckled. "I should be the one saying that to you." He twirled the blade in his hand. "Well," he offered a smile. "Good luck on school tomorrow."

"Oh just come here." I wrapped my hand around his waist and buried my face in his chest.

Luke fitted his hands around my back and shoulders; he planted a kiss on the top of my head as we held each other tight, breathing in deep and committing every detail to memory.

We parted and Luke rang the doorbell. Mom answered the door, inviting Luke in for some tea but he declined politely.

"Well in any case, thank you for seeing Percy home," mom said as I stepped inside.

I waved at Luke as he teleported away, reminding myself that it wasn't goodbye – just a very long see you later.

* * *

><p>The first week back at Goode was boringly ordinary. The teachers weren't any nicer or meaner than last year and so were my classmates. The big talk was all about the series of "freak storms" that wrecked the northwestern states two weeks ago. I had to hand it to Hermes, that cover-up was really convincing.<p>

Saturday morning, I was watching cartoons on the couch when Paul came in and handed me an envelope. I thought it was a mistake but he pressed it to my hand and walked over to the kitchen to give mom the tray of eggs she had sent him out for.

I stared at the envelope confusedly (my address was written in neat, unfamiliar handwriting) but then I saw the return address. I was ripping open the envelope with mixed feelings of eagerness and anxiety that weren't there half a second ago. Inside was a bond paper folded into thirds; it was filled with writing that made me think my dyslexia was acting up until I realized that the whole thing was in Ancient Greek.

'_Hey, Percy._' The letter began. '_Miss me yet?_'

I grabbed a throw pillow and screamed into it because really. Really now.

Luke Castellan, ladies and gentlemen.

I lifted my eyes from the pillow and continued reading. I sunk lower and lower into the sofa until I was lying on my back, the throw pillow still pressed against my face.

"Percy, what are you doing?" My mom was standing over the couch, looking curiously at me.

I raised the letter and she took it from my hand.

"It's Greek," mom said, wearing a knowing smile.

"Luke wrote me a letter in _Ancient_ Greek so we can keep contact through the school year," I rolled my eyes, hugging the throw pillow to my chest and not even bothering to cover the blush on my cheeks.

"Well that's great, right?" she handed me back the letter. "Write him back and we can send it before the post office closes."


	9. I Get A Date Because of Annabeth

Luke and I kept in touch the old fashioned way. Like, _really_ old fashioned but I wasn't complaining.

By the end of September, Luke was telling me about May's involvement in some research project and this part-time job that he got. I didn't dare mention the bullying I got at school since it wasn't really a big deal anyway. I wrote less about school and more about random things that my ADHD afforded me. And the monsters, of course – those stories never get old.

A day before Thanksgiving, Luke had sent a letter apologizing that he and his mom wouldn't be able to come because May was feeling under the weather. That was unfortunate but seeing as Tyson had come up to visit I guess it wasn't a bad deal. It was going to be my first Thanksgiving with my 'whole' family and I suppose Luke and May deserved to celebrate just by themselves, too.

Once dinner was done, the four of us moved to the living room and Tyson told stories about the rebuilding of Poseidon's underwater palace. We were talking about forges and school when a yelp of surprise from my mother came from the kitchen.

"Sally? What happened?" Paul was already out of his seat when my mom came back into the room.

"It's nothing, dear," she addressed Paul before turning to me. "Percy, Iris Message." Then she added in a conspiring whisper, "It's Luke."

Tyson's one eye looked confused. "Who's Luke?"

I blushed. "Um, tall guy, blond hair, scar on his cheek? He was at Olympus with us last summer."

Tyson's expression turned suspicious. "But he was bad…"

"Oh no, he's good now. He was the hero of the Prophecy remember?" I stood up. "Come on, I'll introduce you to him."

On the kitchen sink filled with soapy water was the image of Luke coming from the Castellan kitchen.

"Luke," I smiled at him, he didn't change much in the last two months. "I don't think you've met my half-brother, Tyson." Tyson stepped up beside me and waved. "Tyson, meet Luke, he's, um, my boyfriend."

"What's a boyfriend?" Tyson asked.

"It means he's… uh, a special friend of mine," I explained awkwardly.

"Oh."

"Nice to meet you, Tyson," Luke said. "The brave Cyclops of the war if I remember right…"

Tyson looked somewhere between flattered and genuinely proud of himself.

"Say Tyson, would you mind giving me and Percy some privacy for a minute? I'm afraid this call isn't going to last very long," Luke said, using a tone that I had dubbed as his 'counselor-voice'; he could very well be charmspeaking with how easy he could command people with that tone of voice.

"Okay," Tyson nodded, waving goodbye and leaving the kitchen.

"Happy Thanksgiving," I said once we had our privacy.

"Same to you," Luke's expression softened. "So how are you? As if I don't ask that enough already."

"Well my Thanksgiving just got tons better," I said. "How's your mom?"

"She says her headaches have subsided but I'm not letting her out of the house just yet," Luke shrugged. "By the way, when does your Christmas break start?"

"The 18th, why?"

"You got Annabeth's invitation?"

"Yeah, just yesterday." A purple envelope tied with a gold ribbon arrived in my locker at school. It was an invitation to the launching of the Temple to the Muses on Olympus; it also mentioned the Winter Solstice Gala Night. "Fancy stuff."

"You're going, right?" Luke asked, suddenly looking nervous.

"Of course, I am."

"Then we should go together."

"Duh."

"So it's a date."

"Yeah – wait – it's a date?"

"Do I have to say 'please'?"

"Um."

A feminine voice suddenly spoke. "_Thirty seconds remaining. Please deposit another drachma to extend your call._"

"Yikes," Like grinned. "Anyway, I'll see you then, okay? I'll fix up the details with Annabeth and then I'll mail you."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, love ya, Perce."

"I love you, too."

The IM disconnected and I saw my own reflection (rosy-cheeked with a lopsided smile) staring back at me from the soapy water.

I walked back to the living room where Paul was explaining something to Tyson who was nodding eagerly.

"How did it go?" mom asked, smiling wide as though she already knew everything.

"Uh, remember the building launch and that gala I told you about yesterday? The one from Annabeth in Olympus?" I plopped into a seat beside Tyson.

"Yes, what about it?" Paul asked, wiping his reading glasses with the hem of his T-shirt.

"He asked me out. Luke, I mean. Luke asked me out." I told them plainly. My brain still hasn't processed the whole thing properly.

My mom and Paul shared a look. "That's three days, Percy, will you boys be staying here?"

"I don't really know," I replied honestly. "Luke said he'll take care of things and then he'll just mail the details."

"I see," was all that mom said.

Later, after I'd finished brushing my teeth and was about to go to bed, it finally hit me. I ran to Paul and my mom's room, knocking urgently at the door. "Mom? Mom, are you still awake?"

She opened the door wearing a robe over her nightgown. "Yes Percy?" she asked, brows furrowed in concern.

"I'm going on a date with Luke," I told her, a newfound anxiety agitating my nerves. "How_ exactly_ do I go on a three-day date with Luke?"

* * *

><p>While everyone else at Goode was excited for the Winter Dance, I was vainly trying to concentrate on my lessons. The arrival of Luke's letter the Saturday before the final week of school didn't make things any easier.<p>

Apparently, he had already fixed the 'accommodations' for our stay in Olympus and (according to Annabeth) the temple launching would only be semi-formal but the solstice gala was Greek formal. They weren't content with formal – they _had_ to be _Ancient Greek_ formal. I was worrying where the hell I'd be able to pick up Greek robes but the next paragraph of Luke's letter already held the answer. There was a made-to-order robe shop in Olympus and we could get our clothes tailored there. The probable cost of it had barely inched into my mind when the next sentence informed me that Luke had also taken care of that. In his words, _let's just say there's a big discount on heroes_. The only thing left for me to do is show up, basically.

I folded Luke's letter and stuffed it between the pages of my algebra book. The noise level in class could easily have been a hundred decibels and the teacher wasn't even trying anymore, he just sat behind the teacher's table doing something on his iPhone. Everyone was talking about who they were going with or what they'd be wearing for the Dance that evening – I never really enjoyed those kinds of social gatherings because they required dressing up to impress and that had never really been my thing. The only reason I was going up to Olympus was because Annabeth's a friend… that and, well, Luke asked me out.

When the last bell rang, there was a rush to vacate the building. I stopped by my locker to get my coat (it's been snowing the past few days) and then I headed out. I had barely reached the top of the front steps when someone called my name.

"Percy! Hey Percy!"

I looked around and saw a tall man in a dark overcoat with a gray scarf wrapped around his neck waving at me. I suddenly felt warmer than a furnace.

"Luke?"

His bright smile was near-blinding even from afar and he promptly broke into a run. In a matter of seconds Luke had lifted me to the air, his arms wrapped around my waist. I realize we were making quite a scene but the hell if I care right now.

"Luke! What are you – wait – just put me down first," I locked my hands around his neck, squirming in his hold. "I mean it, Luke, put me down or else!"

"Or else what?" Luke challenged, his face was red from the cold but the only emotion on his face was pure delight. He started turning in circles and I gripped his shoulders tight.

"If you fall down those stairs and break our necks, I swear–!"

"When did you become such a spoil sport?" Luke said, finally standing still. He pressed his face into my chest. "Can't I just hug you for a second?"

My heart melted and I rested my cheek against the top of his head. "You're not the only one who wants a proper hug. Down, please?"

He finally released me and I didn't waste a second – my arms remained around his neck, pulling him flush against me as my feet touched the floor. Luke's face snuggly fitted to the side of my neck and I hummed in content when he placed a small kiss to the underside of my jaw.

Students filtered past us, a lot of them shooting curious looks at me but I only had eyes for Luke.

Until some stupid jock had to ruin the moment.

"Hey dyslexo-boy! That your boyfriend?" Came a sneering call followed by derisive snickers.

"Ignore them," I whispered to Luke, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the immaturity of the insult.

But of course, this was Luke we're talking about.

He rose to his full height, keeping his arms around my waist and shooting deadly calm looks at the school's basketball team. "Yeah, I'm his boyfriend."

Anthony, the team captain and the guy who hurled the insult in the first place, looked like he'd been punched in the guts. The whole team was staring at Luke, probably at the scar on his cheek, and simultaneously deciding that this was not someone they wanted to mess with.

"Come on, they're not worth the air they breathe." I lowered my hands and grabbed Luke by the arm, pulling him down the stairs with me.

"You never mentioned those bullies in your letters," Luke said, unimpressed.

"I don't want to waste ink and paper writing about them when I could be telling you about those Laistrygonian giants that tried to kill me in an ice cream shop," I grinned, trying to appease him. "Come on, Luke… It's been months since we actually saw each other, don't be mad now."

Luke sighed, looking down at me with a weary smile. "Okay, let's forget that ever happened."

I smiled back warmly, pressing my cheek against the sleeve of his coat and lacing our fingers together. "So what brings you here early? You told us to expect you at dinner."

"Yes, well," Luke wore a sheepish expression. "I couldn't wait to see you… that, and my mom got tired of me staring at the grandfather clock wishing for time to go faster. She practically kicked me out."

"Where are your bags?" I asked, realizing that Luke wasn't carrying anything with him.

"I dropped them at your place," Luke said with a one-armed shrug. "Your mom said to give you this, by the way."

"Oh." I took a small envelope from him. It had five twenties inside. I bit down on my bottom lip. It's not that I didn't appreciate my mom's supportiveness of me but she didn't really have to keep sponsoring me like this; I do have savings from my allowance after all.

Fine, I'll spill. Yesterday a pouch full of drachmas appeared in my locker – it was from my dad, Poseidon. An 'allowance' for when I go up to Olympus, the note attached to it said. I'm sixteen so maybe it's just the adolescence kicking in but I want to be more… well, independent.

"Hey." Luke waved his hand in front of my face. "You kind of shut down. You okay?"

I decided I didn't need to hide it from Luke. "It's just," I shifted the backpack on my shoulders. "I guess you could call it a money issue."

"Money?" Luke asked as we stopped on the sidewalk when the stoplight turned green for the cars.

"I want to stop depending on my parents," I explained. "But, you know, it's probably just a teenager thing… Wanna get ice cream?"

"Wow, way to change topics," Luke said, his thumb brushing the back of my hand. "Don't get too worked up about earning money, Perce, you're sixteen. Enjoy life a little!"

"I know, I know, it's a stupid thing," I agreed, squeezing his hand. "Not gonna worry about it anymore, promise."

"Okay, New Yorker," Luke perked up, nudging my shoulder as the cars stopped and we were allowed to cross. "Where's the best ice cream place in this city?"

I was only too happy to give him a tour.

Somewhere between getting ice cream and going home, Luke and I ended up in the department store. It started with Luke holding up a flower vase and asking if May would like it.

"A vase?" I frowned, taking the porcelain work from him and inspecting it.

"Do you have a better idea?"

I stopped and looked at him curiously. "You wanna go Christmas shopping?"

"Well, sure." Luke shrugged.

"The two of us," I clarified. "Going around the mall looking for a gift for your mom?"

"If you're not in a hurry to go home…"

"Can the gift be from the both of us, then?" I placed the vase back on its shelf.

"I can't see why not," Luke grinned, taking my hand as we strolled past the vase displays.

We wandered around the store – going from the perfume stalls to the organic salts, to a rack of assorted shawls and other knitted stuff, to countertop displays. Luke had a good sense in his mother's tastes and tended to be extremely picky about each item's practicality.

We ended up at the cashier with a set of bookends with intricate floral designs carved into the polished wood. Apparently, one of the rooms in the Castellan house was a big old library and the bookends would fit in nicely with the decor. I also picked up a nice pair of paperweights for Paul and my mom. The items amounted safely within our budget. Once done with the payment, we had the gifts wrapped up and rode a train back to the apartment.

The place was empty when we got back, a note stuck on my bedroom door informed me that mom and Paul went out to buy dinner and would be back shortly. Luke found a nice place to stash the gifts in my room and then he helped me to get everything packed for our, um… date? vacation? business trip? I didn't really know what to call it.

The suitcase was filled to the brim by the time Paul appeared on the open doorway to announce that dinner was ready.

There was a lot of catching-up talk during dinner. Then while I helped mom clear the take-out boxes and wipe the table clean, I could hear Luke and Paul in the living room discussing _Shakespeare_ of all things.

"Mom never liked the Merchant of Venice," Luke's voice drifted over followed by Paul's questions.

I shook my head, smiling as I dragged a washcloth over the tabletop.

"Careful, Percy," my mom said, nudging the trash dispenser close with her foot.

I gave her a confused stare as I ran the washcloth under cold water from the faucet and left it to dry by the sink.

"You'll split your face smiling so wide like that." Mom winked and the tips of my ears burned hot.

I tried to protest but she playfully tweaked my nose and I ended up sharing her laugh.

With a sigh, mom leaned back against the table, a nostalgic expression on her face as she regarded me. "I remember having my first boyfriend… getting that rush of excitement every time he held my hand or kissed my cheek. We had our first date at a pizzeria, you know."

This was one story I've never heard before so I settled on the chair beside her, crossing my arms on the table and giving her my full attention. "Can I ask what happened?"

"Well, you know my Uncle Rich – god rest his soul, he got sick during my last year of High School and since he was the one supporting me, I suddenly found myself without any crutches." Mom recounted the story with a hint of sadness. "I've been going out with Clark for two years then but I had to break up with him since I had to drop out of school." She sighed. "He didn't want to but, well, my life just became so complicated – I had to take up jobs to support my Uncle Rich's treatment not to mention earning enough to provide our basic necessities – I couldn't afford keeping a relationship, too."

"You never attempted to get back with him?"

"Oh heavens no." Mom smiled fondly at me as if I was being cute by asking that. "He got himself a new girl easily enough – one time they even went on a date in the coffee shop I worked in."

"That was a jerk move."

"No, it was just a coincidence. I got over him eventually but you just never really forget your first love, you know." Mom caressed my cheek, smiling in a way that made her eyes crinkle and change color. "I guess what I'm trying to tell you, Percy, is that no matter what happens, you shouldn't forget the all the happy memories…"

I mulled over that thought for a moment, then I stood up and hugged my mom. "I never want to break up with Luke," I told her quietly.

Mom ruffled my hair, hugging me back. "Well I'm not wishing for that either," she said as we pulled apart. Her smile was brighter. "Think we've given Paul enough time to drop his 'don't-break-my-stepson's-heart' speech?"

I could feel my eyes bugging out. "_Mom_. No way – He didn't–"

"Paul was writing down his cue cards at the restaurant while we waited for the take-out to arrive," mom smiled teasingly.

"That is a lie," I insisted, unwilling to believe. This was worse when mom gave me that Talk and, no, I'm not going there right now (or ever) because there was Paul and his 'speech' to deal with right now. "Mom, you are kidding. Tell me you're kidding."

Mom just laughed and led me back to the living room.

"Well that's the tragedy isn't it?" Paul was saying.

"It's still a stupid way to die," Luke said and then he noticed me and gave a small wave. "Hey."

Paul's smile looked suspicious to me.

"It's getting late, gentlemen," mom said, looking between me and Luke. "You need to be up early tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, ma'am, the launch is scheduled at 10.30am," Luke confirmed, standing up.

"Time for bed, then, everyone," Paul announced, getting on his feet and walking over to where my mom stood. "Come on, Sally. You kids don't stay up late."

I kissed my mom on the cheek and then she and Paul left for their room.

An awkward silence came over the living room and I couldn't take it so I asked, "Did Paul say anything to you? Aside from Shakespeare, I mean."

Luke only had confusion on his face and I felt embarrassed. "Forget it."

"Okay…?" Luke walked beside me as we made our way out of the living room, turning off the lights as we went.

"You can use the bathroom first," I told him as we reached the door to the guest room.

"Nah, you–"

"No really, I insist," I clapped him on the shoulder, "Bathroom's that one" I pointed to the door on the opposite wall "just knock on my door when you're done."

Luke gave an indulging smile. "Sure, thanks Percy."

I nodded and went into my room. I took off my uniform and lay on top of my bed wearing only my boxers. My eyes slid shut and I drifted into a light sleep. It felt like only a minute later when knocks on my door pulled me back to consciousness. I grabbed my pajamas and wrapped a towel around my waist. Luke had retreated to the guest room by the time I stepped out.

I showered and brushed my teeth and in less than five minutes I was done. My damp hair sent drops of water down my neck only for them to get soaked into the towel I had draped over my shoulders. I hesitated in front of the guest room's door – would it be too cheesy if I just wanted to say goodnight? For all I know Luke had probably fallen asleep already. I sighed, turning to move away when the door opened and Luke was grinning at me from the other side.

"You stand there for thirty seconds then you just walk away? Really?" Luke crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. He wore an orange tank top and dark blue sweatpants.

"I figured you must've gone to sleep already." I shrugged, holding back a blush as badly as Luke was holding back a smile. We stared at each other for longer than I dare to admit until I stuttered out a lame "Well, uh, good night."

Luke nodded, "Sweet dreams."

The heat spread all over me and I awkwardly nodded back, finding myself rooted to the spot.

A beat.

"Is there something else, Percy?" Luke was _very_ good in acting innocent.

"Um, no – no, I'll just…"I finally found the strength to turn away and save myself the embarrassment when Luke grabbed my arm from behind and I promptly lost my footing. But of course, Luke had quick reflexes and easily kept me upright.

"Oh wait, I think you did forget something," he said, pulling me around to face him. An unmistakable gleam of mischief was in his eyes as he leaned down and pressed his lips full against mine.

My hands were anchored on his biceps, holding him close. The kiss left wide smiles on the both of us.

"Now it's really a good night," Luke murmured, arms slipping off my waist as he stepped back into the guest room.

"Yeah," I agreed, never breaking eye contact as I inched back into my room. Luke watched with a content smile as I opened the door and slipped inside. The smile on my lips stayed until morning.


	10. We're Not Exactly Freeloading

Mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement woke me up the next morning. I washed my face and found Luke emerging from the guest room looking rightfully bedraggled. His eyes found mine and a groggy "Good morning" left his mouth.

I walked up to him, placing my hands on his neck and standing on tiptoes to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Morning," I greeted back.

"Oh good, you guys are awake," my mom's voice came from behind Luke and we turned to face her, still wrapped around each other.

"Morning, mom."

"Morning, ma'am."

"Breakfast is ready," she said, making her way back to the kitchen.

"We'll be there in a minute," I called after her.

Once Luke had finished with his morning routine, we sat at the dining table to eat my favorite blue waffles. After breakfast, we showered and changed into semi-formal clothes for the launching. Paul and mom drove us to the Empire State Building before nine and for once the guard at the front desk was very accommodating.

"Are you excited?" Luke asked, pressing the button for the six-hundredth floor on the elevator.

"Mostly nervous," I admitted.

Luke slipped his hand into mine, "It's going to be great, I promise."

The elevator opened to a breathtaking view of Olympus bathed in golden early morning sunlight. Suitcases in hand, Luke led the way through the streets. The residents themselves seemed to glow, wishing us a good day as we passed. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air along with other sweet fragrances from the flowers and fruit-bearing trees. Finally, Luke stopped in front of a huge house; it was like a mini-Pantheon with the wide front steps and rows of columns in front of the house. It was three stories high with at least a dozen windows on each floor, soft white curtains waved at us invitingly.

"Come in," Luke started for the steps.

"Here?" I gawked at him. "We're staying _here_?"

"Yeah."

"You're joking," I pulled him into a halt. "Luke, what is this – this _mansion_?"

Luke suddenly appeared self-conscious. "It's one of my dad's villas. He hand-delivered Annabeth's invitation at our house and told me that if I needed a place to stay, I could use this place. After I called you last Thanksgiving, I took him up on his offer. The house is all ours for the next three days."

His last sentence left me blushing. Just the two of us under one roof for three days. That was… promising.

"Well, I hope you know how to cook," I said by way of giving my approval.

The interior of the house was even grander than the outside – marble floors and gold-gilt furniture. A white marble table greeted us past the front doors. On top of it was an envelope addressed to Luke and me, enclosed was a map of the villa and of Olympus, and a letter that said:

_Everything you need is already stocked up – food in the kitchen, toiletries in the bathroom. Anything else you need is in the bottom drawers of the bedside tables. Keep clear of the third floor, please. Enjoy your stay!_

I didn't think too much of the 'Anything else' part. We followed the map to our allocated room – the first door along the left-side hallway on the second floor. The bedroom was spacious and the walls were painted in a homey beige color with two sets of beds, nightstands and wardrobes all made from polished rosewood.

It felt like walking into a dream. The beds looked so soft I thought I might just sink into them if I so much as laid my hand on the mattress. Even though there were no fans or AC units, the room stayed cool thanks to the wide open curtains and the windows that had neither bars nor panes of glass – there were simply open. I peered down at the streets below and smiled when the thin linen curtains brushed my cheek.

"I'm guessing you're gonna take the bed by the window, then." Luke's voice had me tearing my gaze away from the lines of buildings. He was already unpacking his suitcase on the other bed.

I smiled at him in thanks and started unpacking my own luggage.

"We're supposed to meet Annabeth at 10," Luke said as he secured the twin blades to his belt.

I fixed his tie once he straightened up – years of private school uniforms taught me much. "Okay. We have five minutes to get there – any idea where exactly that is?"

Luke pulled out a map from his pocket, consulting it for a second. "Sure do," he said, keeping the piece of paper again. "Better not be late, then."

"Annabeth would kill us," I agreed. I checked my slacks for Riptide and the pouch of drachmas dad had sent me. "Are the doors locked?"

"Haven't checked." Luke's brows scrunched up in thought. He unsheathed one of his hunting knives and I took his hand. The next second we were at the front door, Luke secured it and then teleported us out of there.

We landed on top of a plateau where a group of people were busying themselves with setting up tables and chairs. We walked past them and found Annabeth tapping her foot and checking a cellphone. She wore a fashionable business suit and had her hair tied back, blond curls shiny under the sunlight.

"There you are!" Annabeth exclaimed when her gray eyes lifted from her phone and landed on us. She marched over and gave Luke and me a once over, as though our clothes had to pass her standards.

"Hey, we came on time as you asked," I said. "The proper launch wouldn't even start until 10:30…"

"Sorry," Annabeth apologized. "It's just that – well, time flows differently up here so I have to keep checking my phone every hour just to avoid being late."

"Have you been staying here all this time, then?" I asked, to which Annabeth nodded.

"Olympus has many spare rooms, you know, but I'd go down to visit my dad and stepfamily every other weekend."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you building a temple to the muses, anyway?" Luke scanned the area with curious blue eyes.

"Well, it's not so much as a temple as a small amphitheater," Annabeth said. "And I thought it better to start with something less… demanding…"

"Demanding?"

"Oh you heard all those gods last time," Annabeth picked invisible lint off her sleeve. "They all want these grand statues of themselves and then there are temples and museums and _don't_ _forget the Spartans_ on the frieze and why would you even want a wheat field _inside_ a building?" She shook her head.

"So the amphitheater's commissioned by Apollo," I ventured.

"Well duh," Annabeth took out her phone and I thought she was looking at her reflection. "He asked nicely enough and it's just a small building as I've said so I don't see why I shouldn't build it first." Now I was pretty sure she was blushing as her gray eyes searched the skies, probably for a red Maserati.

I caught Luke's eye and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

"So Apollo's gonna be here?" Luke asked, feigning curiosity.

"Um, yes," Annabeth narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Luke and me as though daring us to make assumptions. "So will my mom and some of the gods and lesser gods."

"You've got quite an audience there," Luke said. "People from Camp are coming, too, right?"

"Oh, don't remind me," Annabeth's shoulders slumped. "I'm still gathering my wits here."

Just then, a guy in a pinstriped suit came over. "Ms. Chase the caterers have arrived."

Within the next half hour the bland plateau turned into a respectable site. The guests eventually arrived – gods, minor gods, and immortals alike. Chiron led a group of fifteen year-rounders up to the gathering. He shook hands with Annabeth and she directed him to the long table up front allocated for special guests. Athena graced the event with her presence and not too long after that, Apollo and his Muses arrived in a classy black limousine that parked in midair.

Annabeth righted her posture and took up her place at the center. The nine muses surrounded her, all of them wearing golden dresses with beauty pageant smiles on their faces. Apollo sidled up to Annabeth, putting a casual arm around her shoulders, blind to the glare Athena was sending his way.

"Hello everyone," Apollo said. "Thank you all for joining us today. As you all know, on this site soon will rise a majestic monument–"

"Um, it's actually a temple, Lord Apollo," Annabeth squeaked.

"Oh, yes, right – a temple to the nine beautiful muses of the arts and I personally cannot wait for it to finish so I can hold a grand concerto for all of you. But I know that none of these dreams would come true without the Grand Architect of Olympus, Miss Annabeth Chase." Apollo's arm left Annabeth's shoulders as he stepped back and led the round of applause.

Annabeth's whole face was pink but she was smiling wide and had pride shining in her eyes as she accepted gold-gilt spade. She cleared her throat and the applause died down. "Thank you, Lord Apollo. And thank you everyone. The temple will only be the first of many more buildings to come." She pushed the spade into the ground and dug out a small hole to mark the foundation of the infrastructure to be built.

Everyone started clapping again and lunch began soon after.

* * *

><p>Afternoons in Olympus weren't what I expected them to be in December. The one time I'd been here during the winter month, the clouds were dark and ominous but that was because there was a war brewing – this time the world was at peace and Olympian gardens were in full bloom as though in perpetual spring.<p>

Annabeth, Luke, and I parted from Chiron and the other campers – they had their own tour and we had ours. First on the list was robe-fitting. Annabeth took us to a place that had a sign that simply read 'Penelope' in Ancient Greek over the door.

"Good afternoon," Annabeth greeted, pushing the door open.

Luke and I shuffled in after her and I stared at the tall rolls of cloth and mannequins displaying beautiful Greek robes.

"Miss Chase, welcome back," a woman with long brown hair emerged from a hallway that led further back. Her eyes were a friendly green as they landed on me. "Oh, and these must be the dashing gentlemen" I felt Luke cringe at the description "that you've mentioned before? The ones who are in need of my wonderful robes?"

"Y-Yes indeed," Annabeth smiled but her eyes were narrowed at me, a jerk of her head communicating that Luke and I speak up.

"Miss Penelope, right?" Luke stepped forward, taking the hand the seamstress had extended in his direction and kissing the back of it. "We're in dire need of appropriate clothes for the upcoming Solstice Gala and Annabeth referred us to your wonderful shop."

Penelope blushed at the smile Luke directed at her. "Of course, of course. It'll be a _pleasure_ to _service_ the great _hero_es of Olympus."

I didn't like the way she used the words 'pleasure' and 'service' in the same sentence. I didn't like how she said 'heroes' but her eyes were practically undressing Luke. I caught Annabeth's gaze and she rolled her eyes, mouthing '_Total flirt. Just ignore her._'

"Why don't we start with you?" Penelope batted her eyelashes and latched her hand on Luke's elbow; she then began to drag him away.

"Where are–?"

"Oh we're just going into the fitting room so I can – ah, take _measurements_," Penelope reassured Luke. She pushed open a door and turned to me and Annabeth. "This'll just take a moment, dears."

The door slammed shut.

"If she bad touches him _once_," I muttered darkly, staring at the door Luke had been dragged into. Riptide was in my hands and I was absently playing with the pen cap.

"She won't, alright?" Annabeth crossed over and took Riptide from my hands before I do some actual damage. She capped the pen firmly and handed it back to me with a severe glare. "Now be nice – she's agreed to a fifty percent discount."

I pouted and replaced Riptide in my pocket.

The door opened and Luke stepped out looking not-harassed-at-all so I took my turn.

Penelope had me stand on a small stool that was in the middle of the spacious room. A tape measure hung around her neck. She picked up a notepad and a pen and began asking questions.

"So – colors, what do you have in mind?" Penelope asked, holding up the notepad and pen.

"Um…"

"I'm thinking a white chiton, it's basic you know," Penelope said, tilting her head at me. "Above the knee? Below the knee?"

"Uh – below…?"

"I'll make that sleeveless." She murmured and wrote that down and then looked up again. "And a chlamys, too, yes… Color?"

"Green?" I hazarded.

"Good choice," Penelope smiled, pointing her pen at me. "We'll have the color match your eyes. And a belt around the waist – I think that's perfect, don't you?"

"If you say so…" I shrugged. "You're the expert."

"That I am," Penelope smiled and began taking measurements. She did her work quickly and efficiently, she even showed me the quick sketch she did of the outfit.

Okay, so maybe I was a bad judge of character.

Penelope charged us the amount for the two 'suits' and told us they'd be ready for pick up in two days, just in time for the gala.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was spent touring the city properly – I've gone to Olympus a handful of times and it was always on a save-the-world-business-trip so it was good to have a leisurely stroll around the immortal city.<p>

Annabeth treated Luke and me to dinner despite our protests. We walked her back to Olympus where a barn owl perched on a nearby tree appeared to be glaring in my direction as Annabeth ascended the steps.

The moment I stepped into the bedroom, I pulled my shirt out from my slacks and began unbuttoning everything. It's been a very eventful day and I was tired to my bones. I placed Riptide and the considerably lighter pouch of drachma on the nightstand. I popped the button on my pants, and was in the middle of unzipping it when I heard the door close.

Just like that, a ton of bricks seemed to fall on top of my head – knocking some sense into me. I was practically stripping in front of Luke, I realized. Geez, I wanted to hit myself but – priority.

I ran to the door, zipping up my pants as I went. I pulled the door open and found Luke already about to go downstairs.

"Luke," I called, feeling extremely conscious now that his eyes were on me and my toplessness. I wanted to apologize. I was being inconsiderate or something, wasn't I? I mean, I'm a guy and Luke's my boyfriend and we're staying in one room and were there expectations that I should know about?

"I'm just going to get a glass of water from the kitchens," Luke said. "Want me to bring you one?"

I bit my bottom lip, Luke was giving me an easy out. "No thanks." And I damn well took it.

He nodded and proceeded down the stairs.

I went back to the room and changed into sleep clothes as quickly as I could. I should probably have a talk with Luke about… whatever it is…

I fell asleep before Luke came back.


	11. This Is Where We Do  Explorations

Bright sunlight burned red through my eyelids but what woke me was Luke's voice and the kiss he planted on my cheek.

I blinked bleary eyes open and saw Luke sitting on my bed. "You're up early…" I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"I'm going for a morning run," Luke said, one hand raking through my hair. "You wanna join?"

I blinked once… twice…

Luke's eyes twinkled in sunlight.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>We didn't have a planned path for the run so we just went at it aimlessly. We started at the porch of the villa and took whatever route was available. At one point we ended up on the steps to Olympus, which we climbed up and then down and then we were back on the streets. We ran along the very edge of the mountain that hosted Olympus. The other residents of the godly city waved as we passed, offering fruits and fresh baked goods but we declined politely. Both of us were completely soaked in sweat by the time we called the run over.<p>

"Shower first?" Luke suggested as we closed the front door behind us.

"Sounds good," I agreed, grabbing Luke's hand. "Which way is the bathroom again?"

Luke stared at me for a second and I couldn't control the blush that spread all the way down to my neck.

"Right this way," Luke's voice had a different quality to it as he led the way.

The bathroom was a high-ceilinged room with a rectangular pool at the center, along one side was a row of showers without partition and on the corner was a large cabinet carved from the same stone as the floor and walls, holding a variety of toiletries and some towels.

My hand shook as I reached for what looked like a bottle of shampoo and I ended up toppling it over. Luke grabbed the bottle and replaced it on the shelf, turning concerned eyes to me.

"Percy, you don't have to," Luke said, tactfully finding the right words to say. I envied him for that. But I also wanted this very, very much.

I dropped his hand. Looking morosely into icy blue eyes, I didn't really care much if I sounded a little desperate. "But I want to. I want you, your kisses, your hands all over me – I want to touch you and I want to feel you so much…" I stepped closer, allowing myself to be bold because this line had to be crossed sometime and that sometime was now.

Luke's eyes darkened but he didn't move, he just stared back, lips parted and that was probably the only cue I'd need.

My hands wove into the sweat-damp spikes of sandy blond hair and I pulled Luke into a kiss. It sent sparks all over my body when Luke's hands reached under my t-shirt and started pulling it off. Luke tossed the garment aside and appraised my form. I started to go for another kiss when he held up a hand and a smirk rose on his lips.

"Off with everything first." Luke's voice had this darker shade to it and I shivered as I slipped off my briefs and sweatpants in one go. His eyes cast a quick glance downwards and I was all too aware of my half-hard cock.

"Get the shower started," Luke said, a finger tracing down my jaw.

I nodded and went to do as he'd said. I got the hot water working until the temperature was just right. A nervous shiver wracked through my body as the sound of clothes being shucked off echoed in the room. A second later, Luke slid up behind me, one arm circling my waist and pulling me back against him. He dropped a bar of soap on the brass wall mount and started kissing down my neck.

I turned my face towards Luke, slotting our mouths together and holding him in place by his dripping-wet hair. Water-slicked skin slid together and steam started to rise around our feet. Luke pulled back, his high stature shielding me from the spray, a drop of water slid down his long lashes and fell to my cheek, his lips followed the drop.

"I'll wash you up first, alright?" Luke whispered and I pecked at his lips in reply. Luke took the bar of soap in hand and turned off the showerhead. I lay my head on his shoulders as large hands spread the lather across my chest. I could see a grin playing on Luke's lips from my peripheral vision as he stretched out my arms and dragged the soap over the wet skin. His soap-frothed hands rubbed down my abdomen and without warning a hand ran the length of my cock.

Luke chuckled, setting his hands on my waist and lowering his lips to my ears. "Stand up for a moment," he said. "I'll work on your back."

I swallowed and managed a "Yeah" in response.

Luke did this massage thing to my shoulders which had me humming in delight. He worked the soap down my back, I tried not to shiver too obviously when his hands brushed my Achilles spot. Luke placed my hand on his shoulder to keep balance as he lifted my foot and spread the cleansing lather down my leg.

I took the soap from him as he stood up. It felt a little embarrassing but at the same time I had this sense of fulfillment. Luke's warm skin was stretched over taut muscles and my hands followed every curve down to his calves. With a turn of the knobs, the showerhead rained warm water over the both of us. Luke stepped behind me once again, pulling me against his chest as soap suds diluted and cascaded down our bodies.

Luke wrapped a firm hand around my cock and started stroking me from base to tip. I moaned his name, suddenly weak in the knees. Luke smiled against my skin, lightly biting and sucking on the junction between my neck and shoulder.

The heat from the steamy water and the one that filled my whole body made rational thinking impossible. Instinct made me thrust shallowly into the circle made by Luke's hand and I whimpered, feeling Luke's growing interest poking me from behind.

"L-Luke…" I faltered as Luke's thumb rubbed off a smear of pre cum from the tip of my erection. His teeth grazed my skin, travelling up my neck and nibbling on my earlobe.

"Sorry?" Luke whispered hotly, I could just see the sly grin in his tone. He did this twist of the hand as he went on jerking me off and I arched back against him, mewling. I was getting _close_ but I didn't want this to end – _oh gods not yet_.

"Luke," I tried again, managing to place a hand over his to still his highly distracting ministrations.

"Yeah?" Luke's hand loosened around me and I took the opportunity – shutting off the shower and turning around to face him.

"I want to try something," I told him, biting down on my lip as I pushed him against the wall.

Luke, never one to be outdone, pulled me in for a kiss and I welcomed his tongue into my mouth. We parted, sharing moans, and I trailed butterfly kisses down his neck, down his chest – going lower and lower until I had to kneel down in front of him. I flicked my eyes up to Luke, asking for permission.

I didn't have any experience to boast of in this department and the internet wasn't a good teacher the last time I checked; I'm just trying to be polite – "Try not to choke the first-timer, okay?" I told him, covering up my nervousness with a smile and a wink.

Luke slapped a hand to his face, muttering a curse in Greek.

I put my hands on his hips, thumbs pressing into the line of his hipbones. Experimentally, I licked the underside of his erection, sealing my lips against the flushed head. I ran the tip of my tongue against the slit out of curiosity – I was rewarded with Luke calling out my name with a lot of extra 'oh's between syllables.

Luke carded a hand through my hair, pushing the wet strands back and pulling my face up in the same move. A ring of ice blue surrounded his blown-out pupils, kiss-swollen lips glistening red. "Just… careful with the teeth…"

I responded by gripping the base of his cock and pressing my palm against his abs. I kept eye contact as eyelids lowered to half-masts and pressed a kiss on his erection. "Okay…"

I took him in, covering what length I could manage – I have to admit, it felt a lot better than expected. The moan that echoed through the room could have been mine if my mouth wasn't occupied. I started sucking, slowly drawing back until I only had the head in my mouth and then taking it in again. I can't say much about the taste but there was a hint of something both sweet and salty.

The hand Luke had on my hair gripped tighter and I felt the muscles in his stomach tense under my hand. I loosened my other hand from the base of his cock, sliding it under his balls, rolling them on my palm and squeezing.

Luke jerked and I just barely kept him from choking me.

"Holy shit Percy!"

I only hummed in reply, trailing my hand from his stomach down long lean legs. I gripped my own hardness and started pumping in rhythm with sucking Luke off. My head was dizzy, my ears were assaulted with sensual groans and heated flesh sparked fire that traveled through veins. There was a comfortable kind of hot – and then there was a hot that drove you nuts; I'm guessing this was more on the latter.

There was a yanking on my hair and vaguely, I started making sense of my boyfriend's words.

"Percy – fucking hell, _Percy_, get up – _get up_!"

My eyes snapped open, hazy and half-lidded, my lips painted with semen leaking from the tip of Luke's cock that was right in front of me. A hand locked around my wrist and I was pulled to my feet – bad idea, I'd lost feeling in those limbs a dozen sucks ago. But Luke – gorgeous, hot, fucking _fuck me now please_ _Luke_, caught me and it was my turn up on the walls.

His body caged mine, his lips devoured mine, his hips thrust against mine, his larger hand grasped both of our cocks and started jerking us off, sparking sinfully delicious pleasure. I freed my mouth from his just in time to scream his name as my vision turned white. I heard him follow just half a stroke later, leaving our abdomens spattered with semen.

I kissed my way down his jaw and back to his lips as we came down from our climax. Slow, languid kisses reeking of sex and passion. I slipped my tongue past his lips, licking out what I could reach of that hot tavern tasting of everything familiar and exotic. Luke's tongue sought my own; lapping, entwining, and combining tastes. Hands traveled over planes of cooling skin; checking, memorizing, confirming each other's presence.

It wasn't clear who stopped kissing fist, or if we pulled back at the same time, just that my forehead was pressed against Luke's, I had my arms draped on his shoulders, and his hands were on my ass.

"Well that was totally counterproductive," Luke said, sly smile bright.

"Only a little." I kissed him quick, noses bumping as he followed to steal a peck. "So what do you say we actually get clean and get out of here?" I peered through wet eyelashes, curling a grin at the corner of my lips. "I want breakfast now."

"Should we attempt pancakes?" Luke asked reaching for the shower knob and turning it clockwise.

"Anything," I replied as he pulled the both of us under the spray. The water had gone cold.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, two demigods with a pantry full of ingredients doesn't equate to anything good; especially when I found half a liter of blue food dye in a corner of the cupboard.<p>

You'd be surprised at the levels a food fight could go with only two participants. The kitchen was a total mess with flour, syrups, and fruit pulp amongst other things splattered everywhere. It would've gone on for who knows how long but then Luke pinned me against the refrigerator and kissed me into submission. We decided to save the blue dye for later and settled for making easy breakfast with toast and omelets. Luke went around making coffee while I was content with apple juice.

Cleaning up the kitchen took a lot of time and energy – we had to make sure that everything was spotless. Hermes was clearly a very neat and organized god and he'd been extremely nice in letting us stay at his villa, the least we could do was not wreck the place. It was lunch time when we finished.

A good part of the afternoon was spent exploring. Luke and I found our way to the courtyard at the back where tall maple trees stood amongst rows of blooming delphiniums and hyacinths. A beautiful fountain was the centerpiece of the grand courtyard, two tiers of crystal clear water topped with a beautiful statue of a nymph with waves curving around her form.

"Maia," Luke said with something close to reverence in his tone.

I gazed upon the sculpted features set in a warm smile – I suddenly missed my own mom. A glint of gold caught my gaze and I found Luke holding out a couple of drachmas.

Kind blue eyes met mine. "I think we're due for a call."

May Castellan was at a neighbor's house when we contacted her. Thankfully, everyone else was in another room when we called – apparently our mirage came through a fish tank. May assured us that she was doing fine before returning our questions, asking how the launching went and if we'd settled in nicely at the villa and a lot of other motherly things. Of course, when we called up my house, mom and Paul asked the same questions.

There was a hammock installed between two maple trees and Luke only had to quirk a corner of his lips. I didn't have any objections, not when the constricted space the hammock allowed had me sprawled half-way on top of my boyfriend. My head was nestled against his shoulder, arm draped across his chest, our legs tangled with each other's.

Luke's eyes fluttered close with a sigh, his body language communicating a wish for relaxation.

I resorted to staring at him in silence, watching the dappling sunlight dance across his handsome features. I realize I've never really looked at him close enough. His sandy blonde hair was messy like it always was but there were strands of silver mixed in though they weren't very obvious. His sun-kissed skin was lightly freckled and held a vague smell that reminded me of the sword fighting arena at camp. Short tawny lashes fanned over the darker hues under his eyes. The slight knit of his brows matched the curve of his dried rose lips. A shadow of a beard roughened the area around the strong line of his jaw.

He looked so different from the cool-looking teenager who made me feel most welcome during my very first day at camp.

So much has happened since then. So much is happening right now.

"Sometimes I can't believe I'm really here."

It was a low whisper but it was enough to raise me from my thoughts.

Shifting colors of ice blue peered at me between half-lidded eyes. Luke lifted a hand, brushing my cheek. "Sometimes I can't believe you're here with me." His fingers combed back my hair, a slight grin growing on his lips. "But you are."

My hand moved over his heart, feeling the steady beats through his shirt under my palm. "That's because I love you."

I never thought that a single smile would have the power to melt me to my core. "I love you, too."

The rest of the afternoon was spent curled up together swaying in the light breeze.

That night, we made blue pancakes because breakfast isn't only for mornings. A completely different kind of calm had settled between us. It felt surreal.


	12. I Have Bad Luck With Ladies Tonight

The next day our routine stayed the same – morning run, shower, breakfast. There was a huge lack of things to do after that but neither of us minded, it was somehow enough to be close to one another after a couple of months' worth of distance. Luke and I were casually tossing lunch ideas and other random thoughts as we lay together on a chaise lounge, staring at the mosaics that covered the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room.

Annabeth dropped by after lunch, bringing us programs for the gala which would take place once the Olympian's Council was over. That is to say it'll run from eight in the evening until some wee hour in the morning – the program wasn't specific on that part, it merely said 'until there's someone standing'. Given my previous experience with Olympian parties I'm a little wary – especially now that I didn't have a curfew to watch out for.

Together, the three of us picked up our robes from Penelope's and then we parted ways.

The first clue I had of how crazy a night it was going to be was when Luke cornered me against the dining table once we'd cleared the dishes after having a light supper.

Light stubble met my palms as I held him close, tasting sweetness on his lips. My fingers traced mindless figures across his jawline; I was inexplicably charmed by the slight roughness that rubbed against my own smooth skin.

"Are you growing a beard?" I managed to ask in between kisses.

"What?" Luke pulled back, curiosity bright in his eyes.

I brushed the back of my hand against the day-old stubble. "This, I mean…"

"Oh," Luke blinked. "Is it making you uncomfortable? I could shave–"

"No," I interjected, leaning close and kissing him, caressing his cheek and smiling as I reached the coarse patch of skin. I broke the kiss and meet his curious gaze with a shy smile. "I like it."

Luke smiled back, tipping my face up by the chin. "I know something else you'd like," he whispered hotly against my lips before capturing them in a kiss. His hand trailed down, snagging the waistband of my shorts and pulling them down.

"Whoa." I jumped back but the only thing that accomplished was hitting my back on the edge of the table.

"Shh," Luke nipped at my bottom lip. "I'll have to behave real nice later so let me have my fun for now – you'll enjoy it, I promise." He grinded against me and my thought process was overrun with a bright green go signal. Searing lips latched on my neck as Luke lifted me onto the table and I pulled him over me.

One mind-blowing blowjob later, I hoisted Luke up by the hair and tasted my cum on his tongue.

"I suggest you go ahead to the showers," Luke said as we slipped apart.

"But the dishes–"

"I'll take care of them," he insisted, helping me onto my feet. "We've got an hour to get ready."

"I won't be ironing my hair or putting on make-up if that's what got you time-conscious," I poked his chest playfully, stepping back with a grin.

Luke had this knowing mien about him. "Obviously, you've never worn robes before."

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes had passed but I still hadn't worked out which way was up, or which was front or back – I sat on the edge of my bed glaring at the white chiton in my hands.<p>

The bedroom door opened and Luke strode inside, a towel wrapped around his waist and a smug smirk on his face. He stopped in front of me, assessing my underdressed state with a raised brow.

I rolled my eyes and wore a look of surrender. "Help please?"

"Hand me that fibulae," Luke said, taking the chiton from me.

"The what?"

"The pin." Luke nodded towards the item which sat beside the belt and the green cloak I'd laid down over the sheets. He proceeded to help me into my robes before putting on his own.

Luke's clothes consisted of a white chiton that reached his knees, over it he wore a dark blue himation with silver patterns along the hem, and calf-high buskins covered his feet. Under the himation, a shoulder harness fell diagonally across his chest, holding up one of his hunting knives in a sheath.

Now I know these robes aren't really form-fitting and they look more of a dress than anything but I just couldn't tear my eyes off of my boyfriend. I mean, yeah, he already looked good (read: drool-worthy) in normal circumstances but right now he –

"Yes, Percy?" Luke's tone carried smug amusement as he walked over to where I stood by the window.

Candlelight lit up the streets (even though electricity ran in every house) – it contrasted beautifully with the cool blue light of the perfect full moon and gave everything a sort of passionate glow.

"What are the chances you'll have everyone swooning at you at the gala?" I let my eyes drag up and down his form, unable to help the coy smile on my lips.

Luke scoffed, tilting my face up with a finger and leaning in close. "You're one to talk." He bit down on his lip, gaze flickering between my eyes and lips. "Gods help me – somehow I have to keep my hands off of you all night. Apparently, getting off before we get to the gala did little help."

A small laugh escaped me and I wrapped my arms around him, thin linen curtains fluttering around us. "They probably wouldn't miss us there."

"I wish," Luke said, pulling one of my hands off his neck and kissing the back of it. "We're already running late."

"I want to walk there," I told him, nodding at the view from the window beside us. "Everything just looks so amazing tonight." I laced our hands together. _Especially you_.

Luke smiled and I wondered if he heard the words I'd only allowed in my mind. "Alright."

* * *

><p>I somehow ended up going to the gala wearing a corsage. Not those fancy, ribbon-tied, mini-bouquets – it's more like a miniature crown of flowers, actually, wrapped around my right wrist. The flowers were violet and shaped like small globes, the old couple who gave it said it was called amaranth. Luke wore the same thing around his left wrist.<p>

Ganymede smiled as he checked our names off the guest list. We found the party already in full swing – I mean, really, the dance floor was filled with couples dancing the swing. To _Moves Like Jagger_, of all the songs in the world. In all fairness, the steps went great with the beat of the music.

I caught Luke's eye, the two of us wore matching grins.

"Well someone upgraded their music collection," Luke grinned, pulling me to the dance floor.

"I barely know how to dance!" I laughed as we found a free spot and Luke took both my hands into his own.

Luke winked. "We'll see about that."

It was surprisingly easy to fall in step with the other dancers, copying movements and grooving with the catchy music. We saw a lot of familiar faces on the dance floor: Annabeth was dancing with a guy I recognized seeing from the temple launch, Persephone and Hades were owning the place, the Stoll brothers had paired off with nymphs, and then there was my dad, Poseidon, dancing with his wife, Amphitrite. It was weird enough to see my dad out of his usual attire of Hawaiian shirts and it was even weirder to have Amphitrite (who kind of hated me the last time I saw her) smirk a little when we crossed paths. I'm guessing it's because I took up the girl's position in the dance. Whatever.

Dad nodded at me and Luke, twirling Amphitrite around so that her back was towards us. Luke nodded back and I smiled, this was a good start to the night.

The song finished and I pulled Luke out of the dance floor before he got any other ideas.

"Percy!" A hand latched to my arm. That hand was attached to a sixteen-year-old oracle.

"Rachel, Lord Apollo," I greeted, nodding to her dance partner. Rachel's hand gripped my arm like it was a lifeline, it didn't take a genius to know that this was a call for help.

The god of prophecy beamed at us, showing off perfectly white teeth. "The Council's over. It's time to party like mad. Please keep things PG."

It was as if the whole room was sent into a stunned silence. Luke, Rachel, and I exchanged embarrassed glances.

"I'm getting better at haikus, I know. No need for applause," Apollo said as the Nine Muses started up another song.

"Lord Apollo, it's been a great honor to dance with you," Rachel smiled, pulling her other hand out of the god's grasp and stepping closer to me. "But, uh, I'd really like to catch up with my friend, here."

"Oh, naturally," Apollo waved us off. "You needn't ask permission to hang out with these fine young men."

"Thank you." Rachel curtsied and promptly started leading the way. Luke and I stumbled after her; with Rachel holding my arm hostage and Luke's hand entwined with mine – I imagine we made an amusing scene as we went.

For some reason, Rachel found it safe to stop when we reached the buffet table laden with mortal food.

"Hello to you, too," I told her once she released her hold on my arm.

"Hi Percy, Luke," Rachel greeted back, wiping the sweat off her brow with the hem of a sash that was draped around her elbows; it matched the floor-length ochre robe that she wore.

"You look like you need a drink." Luke picked up a goblet from the table, handing it over to Rachel.

"Thanks." Rachel then stared down at the empty cup, "Fanta Cream Soda."

Luke passed me a goblet filled with blue Diet Coke with a knowing smile. The past two days our choice of drink was limited to milk, coffee, fruit juices or plain water – Hermes apparently wasn't into junk food.

Rachel breathed out heavily after she drained her cup. "Wow, four months of boarding school and suddenly I'm partying with Greek gods; talk about a total change of scenery."

"So how are you?" I asked as we moved from the buffet to an empty table.

"Well I just got abducted from my house," Rachel said as she settled down on the other side of the square table.

"Abducted?" Luke asked, sitting down beside me.

"You got an invitation, right?" I added, a little concerned.

"Yeah I got Annabeth's invitation – the problem was that I had no idea how to tell my parents," Rachel grimaced. "Heck, I don't even know how to tell them I'm hosting a prophetical spirit inside of me. Anyway, I couldn't even write back to say that I can't attend. So I just got back home earlier, I was having dinner with my parents, catching up, yadda yadda, and then the butler comes in and says there's someone looking for me.

"So I get up and my parents follow and we find Lord Apollo out front in a red Maserati." Rachel was starting to gesture wildly. "He shakes my parents' hands and started babbling about the gala at Olympus before I could warn him that mom and dad didn't know a thing about the existence of half-bloods and Greek gods in modern times."

"What happened then?"

"Well, Apollo was decided that the gala wouldn't be complete without the oracle," Rachel rolled her eyes but a light dusting of pink had risen on her freckled cheeks. "He did something with the Mist and got my parents' permission to let me attend this thing. I have to be home by midnight, though."

"Like Cinderella?" a teasing voice asked.

The three of us looked up and found Annabeth dressed in a shimmering baby blue peplos.

"Nice colors," Rachel complimented as Annabeth took the seat on her right. "And I'm so sorry I wasn't there for the launching."

"No hard feelings," Annabeth smiled, gray eyes shifting from each of us in turn before leveling her gaze at Luke and me. "So how has living together worked out for you two?"

I felt the heat spread all over my face as Luke choked on blue Diet Coke beside me.

"You're living together?" Rachel exclaimed, turning the heads of just about everyone within hearing range towards our table.

I shouted "Gods no!" the same instance that Luke replied "Not officially."

I stared. Luke smirked. Annabeth and Rachel cooed at us.

"I mean, technically we are," Luke explained as I found my brain processes oh so slowly starting back up from their meltdown one second ago. "Dad lent us one of his villas and Percy and I are staying there while we're on Olympus."

"Ohh, right." Rachel shared a look with Annabeth who raised her brows and grinned.

Speaking from experience, looks shared between teenage girls could mean a lot of things and I for one don't really want to find out; it's not like I can deny whatever assumptions they make. Mainly, I wanted to avoid talking about how much 'living together' Luke and I had been doing which isn't the best thing to think about when you're in a ballroom and your godly parent could be anywhere nearby.

I frowned at Luke but it came out more of a pout and he just chuckled at me, shrugging unapologetically.

"Okay, moving on," I decided it was best to drop the subject before it got out of hand.

Our talk involved a lot of catching up and a bit about summer plans even though it was more than six months away. Annabeth feared that the constructions wouldn't allow her a break while Rachel was all for returning to camp. To my surprise, Luke had plans to go back, too.

"I'm sure they'd appreciate a helping hand in running things now that there's a hell lot more kids to look after," Luke said as the four of us decided to get some snacks. "But I suppose I'm not coming back as a camper, I'm afraid I've outgrown that phase."

I was confused. "Then what – oh wait." Realization hit me, it felt rather like a warm squishy ball of mush. "You're gonna be a trainer."

Luke smiled. "Why not?"

"Yeah, Percy," Annabeth said from my other side, reaching out for a sandwich. "What better excuse could there be to spend the whole summer together?"

"Touché." Luke high-fived Annabeth behind me and Rachel didn't bother hiding her smirk.

The girls hauled us back to the dance floor after we finished eating. It was a lot more crowded as more people had arrived. When the music changed from pop tunes to classics, Luke paired off with Annabeth and I danced with Rachel.

I shouldn't have been surprised to find that she was a hell lot of a better dancer than me. We wove through the crowd of dancers as the Muses played Celine Dion.

"Hopefully there won't be any ship sinking tonight," Rachel teased as we crossed paths with Luke and Annabeth.

I held Luke's gaze until other couples swayed between us and he and Annabeth got lost in the crowd. "You're thinking of Titanic right now, really?" I grinned, turning my attention back to my dance partner.

"Hey, I love that movie," Rachel stuck her tongue out as 'My Heart Will Go On' belted out its last stanza.

I decided not to argue and just enjoy the dance.

A couple of songs later, Rachel started complaining about her heels so I led her off to the sidelines. Neither Luke nor Annabeth were in sight. We passed by the grand terrace where a couple of minor gods were rendezvousing under the silver glow of moonlight.

Rachel suddenly stopped, green eyes alight in wonder at the grand display of the cosmos. "Percy, what's the time?"

I didn't have a watch on me, the one I did own functioned more as a weapon than a clock. The only way I knew what time it was up here was dictated by the position of the sun – now, though, it was pretty hard to tell the time of the night. "I guess it's pretty late… Curfew?"

"Yeah." Worry creased her brows as Rachel's gaze darted over to the wide-open doors.

"Should we find the others so you could say goodbye?" I was already searching the mass of robes for a familiar pair.

"I don't know," Rachel said, looking torn. I guess I could just pass the message.

"It's already midnight, sweetie," a cheery voice spoke from beside us. Aphrodite was literally glowing pink, somehow able to make the simple white robes she wore look even better than any designer gown. "The Oracle, if I'm not mistaken?" She eyed Rachel's hand on the crook of my left elbow appreciatively.

"Yes, my Lady." Rachel did a little curtsy which only made Aphrodite's smile widen.

"We're just friends," I clarified.

"Defensive," the goddess of love winked, taking my right hand. "Pretty bracelet you've got here." There was a twinkle in her eyes as she inspected the band of amaranth leaves and flowers around my wrist.

I had a bad feeling about having her hand on that band but it probably wouldn't be good if I snatched my hand away. So I tried another approach. "Lady Aphrodite, I'd better see Rachel off, she really needs to get home."

Bright blue eyes regarded us a little bit too calmly. "Oh right, I wouldn't want to delay you two," she smiled sweetly, finally releasing my hand with a friendly pat. "Toodles."

It was hard to not break into a run as we left the goddess' presence.

"For a goddess of love she's kinda scary," Rachel whispered as we stepped out of the ballroom.

"Leaving so soon, seaweed brain?"

I hoped so badly that it was Annabeth but apparently, I was destined to have bad luck with women tonight. "Thalia, hi."

Thalia looked no older than the last time I've seen her – that fact should've stopped surprising me by now and yet here we are. She was making her way down the corridor towards us, the silver uniform of the Hunters reflecting the moonlight onto her; she wore a neutral expression but a fierce air seemed to surround her.

I gulped, she didn't even have any weapons out but I was extremely fearful of her right now.

Electric blue eyes look unimpressed as she regarded Rachel and me.

"Percy's just escorting me out," Rachel said quickly, gauging the tension hanging in the air. "I have a midnight curfew, you see."

"Thalia–" I started but she put up a finger to stop me.

"Don't."

It felt a little embarrassing to be told off by someone a year younger than you even though it was just in appearance. Thalia posed one hand on her hip. "We're all on a tight sched here so I'll be the one doing the talking, alright?"

I nodded.

"Are you and Luke still together?" Thalia asked, looking down her nose at me.

Again, weird, but my answer came automatically. "Yes."

"Good." Thalia nodded but her expression didn't change. "Tell Luke I'll break his face if he breaks your heart."

My jaw dropped.

"Don't look so shocked," Thalia scoffed. "I'll break your face too if you break _his_ heart. And believe me, I'll _know _if that happens."

"I… Thanks, I guess," I managed, blinking.

"No problem." Thalia's features finally softened, a quirk lifted the corner of her lips. Her gaze settled on Rachel. "Come on, I'm heading out of here myself."

"Wait, aren't you gonna talk to Luke?" I asked, feeling a little subdued as Rachel left me to stand beside Thalia. "He's just–"

"I didn't come here to party," Thalia pointed out, loosely shoving her hands into the pockets of her camouflage pants. "Lady Artemis has permitted me to forego my duties tonight and have this talk with you, Percy; I have to return to the Hunters now."

Rachel waved goodbye, a hesitant smile on her face. "See ya."

I could only nod and watch them walk away. They disappeared around a corner and the whole hall suddenly felt arctic. Soft notes of music drew me back inside the room but my thoughts were still on Thalia. She still had feelings for Luke and she was creating distance between them in an effort to squash down those feelings. That alone made her a lot stronger than me. Did that mean that she was also more deserving?

"My hero…?"

That exact same second, a sadly melodious song came from the ballroom behind me.

I snapped out of my daze, everything going back to focus at the soft voice. It's been so long ago since I last heard that tone and yet the smell of cinnamon rekindled memories all too easily.

She stood with a concerned frown, lilac robes accentuating her small frame. Caramel hair braided so familiarly over one shoulder and dark eyes reflecting my worried face. "You are distressed, my hero," she stepped closer, a fair hand raised but not quite touching my cheek.

"Calypso." I put up a smile which seemed to be the permission she was looking for.

Her hand settled on my right cheek and she returned my smile. "I believe I owe you my deepest gratitude for having the gods lift my imprisonment. Thank you, Percy Jackson."

"You didn't deserve the punishment," I replied, taking the hand she had on my cheek and lowering it between us. "How are you?"

"It's been a big shock reacquainting myself with this world," Calypso admitted, her eyes following our hands. "Oddly, I find Ogygia a lot more comforting than the cities of high stones – skyscrapers, I believe they're called."

Her dark eyes met mine as the song played through its first verse and went into the chorus.

"If I may be so bold, my hero," Calypso's gentle voice carried over the tune. "You look like you're enduring a great heartache."

"I – I'm not–"

She only smiled as I stuttered. "No need to hide it, I've seen heartache only too many times in my own reflection not to recognize it in another."

"I'm sorry." I squeezed her hand, trying to convey my apologies.

"I never expected you to wait for me so there is nothing to be sorry for." Calypso placed her other hand on our clasped hands. "I've stopped waiting for Fate to send me men that I could never have, I have my freedom now and I will find my own love."

Trust a girl to be more emotionally balanced than I am.

Calypso lifted my hand with both of hers, the floral circlet around my wrist prominently displayed. "Amaranth flowers, my hero, a very fitting choice."

A question was at the tip of my tongue when an approaching figure entered my peripheral view – I lifted my eyes to find Luke staring between me and Calypso. His face was a jumble of emotions.

"Luke." My breath caught as he leveled his gaze on me.

"I – You…" He licked his lips and exhaled. "I couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry for worrying you," I reply. "Rachel had to go home, I helped her out." Should I tell him about Thalia? Of course I should but not right now, not with the present company (no offense). Speaking of – "Luke, this is Calypso. Calypso, uh, well, this is Luke. He's–"

"I'm Percy's boyfriend," Luke finished for me.

I could suddenly hear my heart beating in my ears.

Calypso's smile only widened but her eyes didn't meet Luke's, instead she was staring at his hand. Without a word, she stepped closer to Luke, reaching for his left hand.

I stood frozen, unsure of what I should do, unsure of what Calypso was trying to do. Vaguely, I heard a change of tunes.

Luke stared down at her with a closely guarded expression.

Calypso finally met Luke's gaze, a soft smile on her lips – Luke's rigid posture relaxed in the slightest. "Amaranth flowers, as I was saying…" She took Luke's hand and then turned to me, pulling me over. Calypso held Luke's and my hand up against each other and then withdrew her hands.

Automatically, Luke's fingers entwined with mine. I shivered but at the same time warmth spread from my hand, up my arm, and all over my body.

"They symbolize immortal love." Calypso smiled, eons of wisdom shining behind her almond-shaped eyes.

I would've stared at Calypso for her proclamation but my gaze was drawn to Luke. I barely notice Calypso walking away as the lyrics of the new song seemingly amplified around us.

_I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish__  
>I'll be your fantasy<em>

"Can I have this dance?" Luke asked.

_I'll be your hope, I'll be your love__  
>Be everything that you need<em>

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as heat flared anew all over me.

_I'll love you more with every breath__  
>Truly, madly, deeply do<em>

Luke's hands secured my waist as I put my own around his neck, creating an intimate distance between us.

_I will be strong, I will be faithful__  
>'Cause I'm counting on<br>A new beginning  
>A reason for living<br>A deeper meaning, yeah_

It didn't bother me that we were dancing at the doorway, that we were doing nothing more than turning around and side-stepping. Everything outside the two of us and that song had faded to gray.

_I want to stand with you on a mountain_

Luke brushed a hand down my cheek, the hand on my waist retaining its possessive hold; I found my breaths coming in short.

_I want to bathe with you in the sea_

We stilled in our movements and Luke slowly, so slowly, lowered his lips to mine.

_I want to lay like this forever_

I kept eye contact until the last possible second – seeing desire burning in ice blue orbs.

_Until the sky falls down on me_

Feather-light, his lips brushed against mine and I mouth three words onto them.


	13. Truly, Madly, Deeply

Luke covered me completely but I still can't get enough, our hands busied themselves in undoing the clasps on each other's garments. The leather straps and knife sheath thumped as they hit the bedroom floor following the heavy blue himation and the green chlamys. Fibulaes clattered to the ground and chitons slipped off shoulders. On the bedside table, circlets of amaranth lie together undisturbed.

I rolled us over, still attached at the mouth and by exploring hands. Light stubble scratched my jaw, I straddled Luke's waist and pressed down hard. One hand pulled my chiton down my thighs, its partner wrapping around my back and pulling me closer. Calloused pads rubbed down my spine, making me moan and mewl as they went lower and lower until –

Friction sparked the air as I grinded against Luke, inadvertently breaking our kiss as my eyes shot open, body arching up at his touch.

Moonlight made his blue eyes gleam, moist red lips inviting me back. I was about to dive in when his fingers kneaded my Achilles spot – air promptly left my lungs, my hips rutted against his, reflexively eluding the touch.

I didn't need words to explain, Luke realized what it was. He rose to a sitting position, pulling up my chiton as he went and discarding it. I kneeled before him, one leg on their side of his thighs. White cloth pooled around his waist vainly covering up the bulge on his crotch.

His hands were on my waist, pulling me flush against him as he molded our mouths together – tongues bridging what anatomy tried to separate. He cupped my hardening member through boxer-briefs at the same time inching his fingers around my Achilles' spot.

Groaning, my hands raked through his hair as tendrils of arousal claimed control over every nerve in my body. I rocked against him, his hand stroking and squeezing, his fingers slipping under the garter and pulling my underwear down as he palmed my ass. Teeth nibbled on my bottom lip as Luke pulled my dick free from the fabric, flushed red and rock hard.

My hands latched onto his chiton, guiding the cloth over his head and throwing it to the side. With one hand on his chest, I pushed him into a reclining position. I slipped off my boxer-briefs and leaned forward, aligning our chests as my lips found familiar territory on his neck. I ducked lower, taking a nipple into my mouth and sucking while one hand went into his boxers.

Luke started cursing when I grazed my teeth on his other nipple and ground our hard-ons together. He gripped me by the hair and hoisted me up, mouths zoning in on each other, bodies crashing back onto the mattress. I pushed against the hands massaging my backside, grinding my ass against his cock to get my point across. He broke the kiss, a question in his blown-out pupils, his eyes searching for something on my face.

I pulled myself up, pressing my forehead against his, one hand cradling his jaw, my heart thundering against my ribcage. "I want you, Luke," I whispered, kissing him deeply. "Need you – just you – only you."

He brought up a hand to my face, brushing back sweaty bangs as he returned my kisses, gently rolling himself over me. A pillow cushioned my head and Luke pulled back, thumb catching saliva off my bottom lip. "Then I'll give you all of me," he whispered back, voice low, holding much promise.

I watched with bated breath as Luke slid off the bed, tugging off his boxers, eyes raking down my spread out form. He crouched to open the bottom-most drawer of the bedside table, setting a bottle of lube on the mattress a few seconds later.

A slight smile played on his lips as he settled back on the bed, sitting beside me. "You ready?"

"Yeah," I breathed out, nerves wracked with excitement and anxiety.

Luke leaned over me, pressing our lips together at the same time moving into position between my legs. Large hands caressed their way down my chest, down my sides, my waist, my thighs, pulling them up. He pulled back, tongue tracing my lips, sucking on my chin, my Adam's apple.

Breathy moans left me – Luke's mouth covered my hard-on with licks and suctions, my voice caught every time I said his name.

The lube bottle was uncapped as Luke sat back and he dribbled the clear liquid all over his fingers. His eyes locked onto mine and I had no intention of looking elsewhere.

It's a cold sensation, having the pad of his finger trace the rim around my entrance. It's a queasy feeling when his finger slipped inside. I tried to hold back my whimpers but it was futile. It was seriously uncomfortable and Luke could read the pain on my face, especially with how my breaths stuttered. He paused, leaning up to give me a kiss. The warmth of his lips comforted me and I spread my legs a bit wider. I squirm as Luke wiggled his finger, inching it further inside all the way onto the knuckle. Then he stilled, pulling back from our kiss and letting me get used to the feeling.

I licked my lips, shifting and experimentally clenching around the digit. Luke groaned, his eyes slipping shut and he slowly pulled his finger out. I mewled, thighs trembling as the finger caught on the rim, circling around and then pushing back in.

Two fingers scissored me open. More lube was added as three digits stretched me out. I rocked back, taking four fingers deeper and closer and then Luke pulled them out.

I keened at the loss of sensation, Luke's name leaving my lips and I begged for him inside me.

Luke shushed me, his mouth claiming a spot on my neck. Rough stubble rubbed against sweat-coated skin, I wrapped my arms around his neck, hands finding purchase in sandy blond hair. I bit down on his lip, nibbling on the swollen flesh until our mouths fell in line and he ravaged me with his tongue. One hand kneaded my ass, pulling the cheeks apart. A blunt tip pressed against my entrance.

A gasp from me broke us apart – Luke's eyes were right in front of me, half-lidded and alluring. I kissed him softly, taking in an exhale, wrapping my legs around his waist, welcoming him inside.

Luke's pressed our foreheads together, eyes reflecting my expression, mouths a breadth's width apart from each other – slowly, he pushed in, he gave all of himself, he claimed me.

For a minute, everything stilled, no sound, not a breath of air. Luke filled me completely and I stared up at him in awe, in pleasure, in love. Chests pressed together, hearts hammering in sync.

All boundaries had been crossed. There was no turning back. Neither of us planned to.

We made love, slowly, no hurries; a slow burn running through every nerve of my body. Every thrust reaching deeper, every grind molding us together. Luke was… mesmerizing. He invaded every single one of my senses and I was only too happy to drown in the feel of him.

Cries punctuated the night, Luke climaxed inside of me, hips rutting with abandon as I rode him out, my own orgasm painting white webs of semen on our chests.

"Percy…" Luke's voice was hoarse, day-old stubble scratching my cheek. He nuzzled the side of my face, teeth toying with my earlobe.

I hummed in response, clamping down on his flaccid cock, reveling in the sensation as Luke pulled out of me.

"Percy," Luke murmured against skin, trailing kisses down my jawline.

"Yeah?" I whispered back, breathless. The magnitude of what we'd just done finding a permanent spot in my memory.

"Percy." Luke's smile was blinding and warm and contagious.

"Luke," I retorted, grinning back.

He cupped my cheeks with both hands, noses bumping together as he leaned in close. "What is it with you and covering bases while we're in my parent's house?"

I blinked. I stared. I grabbed a pillow and smacked him across the face with it. "Thanks for ruining the moment," I muttered as Luke rolled off to one side.

"Aw, come on, Perce." Luke positioned a pillow under his head, arms winding around my waist and pulling me against his chest. "I _love_ you."

"D - Don't just haul me around," I squirmed in his embrace, queasy at the feel of semen dripping out of my ass. "I'm a bit squelchy right now."

Luke's eyes dropped to my backside as he placed a kiss on my shoulder. "I can help you there," he smirked.

"Maybe later," I told him, turning about until we were face to face.

"Cuddle time?" Luke suggested with a raise of his brows.

I laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Mm, yeah, cuddle time."

* * *

><p>Waking up with a warm body wrapped around you is one of the best things ever. Sleep gave way to a heightened sensation of skin against skin and hot puffs of breath on my nape. I tried to move my hand but I found a larger one entwined with it.<p>

I rubbed my thumb along the back of Luke's hand, holding on tightly.

On the other side of the room, the other bed – Luke's bed – lay empty, the covers half-way on the floor. The floor was also something to behold, various articles of clothing were unmoved from where they landed after being haphazardly thrown off last night.

"You awake, Luke?" I asked the quiet room.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess I am." Soft lips pressed against my nape, an arm curling around my middle.

I partially turned, craning my neck to meet Luke's kiss. "Morning."

Both of us stilled, eyes greedily drinking in the sight of the other. It could've been the morning light, it could've been just a carry-over post-coital haze, but all I knew was that I wanted to commit every strand of hair and every pore of Luke's to memory. Golden light poured in from the window behind him, giving his handsome form an ethereal glow.

Luke leaned in, placing a kiss on my cheek, ice blue eyes alight with a captivating shine. "Hey…"

There wasn't anything that I would trade for this moment. Four months ago I almost lost him and since then I had decided (maybe subconsciously) that I would do everything in my power to keep him near me. There wasn't anything that would keep me from this man I love. It was scary having this realization but Luke was right beside me, his fingers laced through mine, holding me close with no intention of ever letting go.

I could live with that.

* * *

><p><strong>END<strong>


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